Brokenhearted
by veraklon
Summary: Alt Univ: After walking in on his girlfriend, Hermione, and best friend, Ron, in bed together, a 16yo Harry leaves to deal with his destiny without them. Tonks convinces him that he can't do it alone. And how does Draco fit in? HP:NT.
1. Fallout

FALLOUT

"Harry!" A woman's voice screamed, echoing through the hallways and rooms of the Burrow. "Please… wait up."

A definitely male voice, strained, followed. "Mate… It's not…"

There was the harsh slamming of a door… like a gunshot into the sudden silence that filled the house… and anyone that might have been talking was no longer daring to breathe a word, to possibly draw notice that they were partly witness to what was about to occur. The door was followed by footsteps that fell like the slamming of Hogwarts: A History onto a table as the whole house seemed to shake. There was no longer a way to pretend to be ignorant of what was happening, pictures falling from the walls and plaster dropping from the ceiling.

At the top of the stairs, a raven-haired young man stood, his eyes blazing with an anger that literally seemed to dance as emerald flames. At any other time, he would appear as any other sixteen, almost seventeen, year old boy. He was dressed in black jeans and a crimson jumper which might not have been even noted, but that they looked to have been purchased new for him rather than as a hand-me-down from his gargantuan cousin, Dudley.

But how well Harry Potter was dressed was practically ignored, all for the fact that tears fell freely down his face.

He took the stairs hard, his dragon-hide boots dropping quick and methodically upon each wooden step… the shadows seeming to retreat from his form. He was halfway down the staircase when another young man seemed to reach the edge of the second floor, the intent of catching Harry evident in his demeanor.

The second man looked horrible. His clothes were mismatched, haphazardly thrown together… much like they had been pulled on while in a hurry. Pajama pants, pink in colour along with purple hearts, along with a white tee shirt (in honesty looking to be worn backwards at the moment). Red hair that matched in shade with many of the spectators on the first floor.

Ronald Weasley, the best and earliest friend that Harry had ever had, seemed almost to magically fly down the stairs, his bare feet making barely a sound, especially in comparison to the heavy pounding of his best friend in front of him.

"Harry…" Ron cried as his arm reached out to grab Harry's shoulder. "Hold on a min…"

In less time than it might take to explain, the dark haired teenager's foot landed on the ground floor. As the person following him reached out, Harry pivoted and grabbed Ron's wrist before it had a chance to land. There was a quiet moment where the red-head's eyes opened wide, the danger of his situation suddenly apparent, as Harry Potter twisted and flipped Ron over his shoulder sending him crashing to the floor several feet from the edge of the staircase, several knickknacks and other memorabilia falling from the shelves, crashing into nothing but broken memories.

"Ooof!" Ron landed hard, all breath stolen from him in that moment as Harry strode closer.

The insanity of the moment caught everyone off guard before the gathered members of the Order of the Phoenix sprung into action. Professor McGonagall, the newly designated replacement for Albus Dumbledore, thinned her lips as she snapped her eyes over towards Harry.

Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mad-Eye Moody were suddenly in-between the two friends, the hands and wands raised in case Harry decided to attempt to pass them in his quiet stalking of the youngest Weasley male.

"Hold on, Harry." Mad-Eye's gruff voice filled the room, drowning out all of the surprised exclamations that filled the room from the witches and wizards squeezed into the Weasley home.

Behind the former Auror, several of Ron's family who were in attendance for the impromptu meeting rushed to his aid. Arthur and Molly Weasley were the first to their son's side, Mrs. Weasley's cry of anguish at her son being thrown across the room filling the still air, while Charlie and Bill Weasley, the eldest of the red-headed children, interposed themselves as backup for Kingsley and Mad-Eye.

"What's all this now, Mr. Potter?" Minerva's voice called, her tone leaving no room for doubt that she intended an immediate answer. "I only asked you to go up and bring Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger to the meeting…"

The room seemed to take a collected breath as Harry's tearstained face turned to look at his Transfiguration Professor, a hash look of pain crossing his face. "Just leaving."

"What?" Fleur DeLacour, soon-to-be Weasley, called from somewhere in the back behind many of the other Order members that were all suddenly gripping wands. "Jus' leev'eng? You just got 'ere. We steel 'ave a wedding that you are to attend aft'air dis meet'eng."

Harry stared hard at the growing number of people trying to block his path to where Ron was laying. He shook his head as he brushed past several people, not the least of which were Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbotton, two of the newer inductees into the Order, with an expression that caused all that he drew near to take a step back.

Ginny, the youngest of the Weasley family, moved to try and reach Harry, to possibly block him from his path towards the front door, but her brothers Fred and George carefully held her back. "Wait… Harry! What's going on?" She cried, but received no response.

"Now, listen here young man." Arthur Weasley suddenly spoke, his voice hard. "I don't know what's going on here, but you need to explain yourself. Molly and I have…"

"Ask Hermione." Harry's voice interrupted coldly. He was at the doorway, the door open and his back turned to the room. "Ask my… _girlfriend_. Ask Hermione why I'm leaving."

"No…" Ron called weakly from the floor. "Harry… listen… it's not…"

Harry turned, the fire in his gaze suddenly brighter than what anyone could ever remember seeing before. "Not what, Ron? Not what it looked like?" His words snapped out like a whip. "What exactly was it that I saw, Ron? Can you explain why you and my _girlfriend_ were in bed together without any clothes on?"

"What!" Molly's voice gasped, her eyes wider than saucers.

"Ronald?" Luna's soft voice seemed to whisper in inquiry across the room. He winced at hearing his own girlfriend's voice asking him if his best mate's accusation was true or not, but he couldn't spare the moment away from Harry… not yet.

At the pronouncement, the room seemed to all take a breath in at once while the young man facing Harry had gone completely pale. To the side, Arthur quickly pulled his wife away and the room seemed to realize that there was no way to escape witnessing the coming confrontation, Ginny's arms around Luna in obvious support and comfort.

"Look… mate…"

"Mate?" Harry laughed, though there was no warmth in it at all. "You go and shag my _girlfriend_ while I'm away and you want to call me mate?"

"Listen…"

Harry shook his head. "If it wasn't that you were once a brother to me, I'd kill you, Ron." At his words, Molly suddenly burst into tears. "As it is, after I walk out the door, I never want to see you again."

"Listen, Harry…" Harry glanced over at Kingsley. At the look, the dark skinned man tightened his grip on his wand.

Ron shuffled his feet, his eyes refusing to hold Harry's gaze for long. "Look… it just sorta…"

"If you say _it just happened_, no force this side of Dumbledore returning from the grave will prevent me from shutting you up for good."

The whole room started to shake again, the twenty or so people in the Weasley's home looking around in obvious fear at the amount of power that seemed to be filling the room.

"Harry?"

The magic immediately dropped away as Hermione Granger walked down the stairs. She had definitely looked better. She wore a pair of sweatpants, the draw strong loose, as well as an old quidditch jersey that had belonged to Harry… one of the first things she had stolen from him after they had started dating at the end of their fifth year at Hogwarts. Looking around, Hermione's cheeks went red as she realized that everyone that meant anything to her in the wizarding world was in that room, watching the train wreck that had become of her life… and that of her two best friends. She sighed as she realized that no one was going to give them any privacy, though it was really too late for that as it was. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand to touch Harry's back that was still turned away from her.

Just as her hand neared, Harry's voice spoke. "Don't touch me."

Tears immediately filled her eyes. "Harry… I'm…"

"Shut up." She flinched as if he'd struck her. "I'm leaving."

"Harry…"

"I said shut up!" His voice was louder, making several people jump. Refusing to turn and look at her, his eyes regarded Ron as he continued to speak to Hermione. "It's over. You. Me. Ron. Over. I'll do the rest on my own."

The enormity of what he was saying seemed to hit the both of them at the same time. "Harry…" and "You can't…"

"I CAN!" Harry bellowed as he finally turned his back on Ron and looked at Hermione. "This is my destiny. My burden. And I can't do it with you. Not any longer. Not after having you betray me… to lie to me."

Hermione's head was shaking violently. "No… I have to help… you can't do it alone…"

"And you expect me to do it with you?" He alternated his gaze between the two people that had meant the most to him. "I'm now supposed to trust the two of you with my life? To watch my back? I couldn't even trust the woman I love and my best friend to be alone together." He laughed, though to most it seemed more like a cry. "Trust? Not from either of you. Never again."

"I won't let you go alone." Ron's voice was thick. "I'll…" Harry turned and glared, the words dying.

Hermione's voice was full of tears and pain. "Please… I wish I could explain… nothing makes sense…"

"You're right at that." Harry's voice was barely audible. "Nothing makes sense to me anymore, either. Everything that I had to lean on… to trust to keep me sane and safe… it's all gone now."

"Harry…" McGonagall's voice interrupted from where she stood, but Harry was already shaking his head.

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag. The room watched as he muttered under his breath and the package suddenly enlarged… no sign of his wand was ever seen. Tears filled his vision as he unfurled the bag and reached into it.

"I had these made…" He sighed. "A waste of money now." Pulling out a box, Harry opened to reveal three necklaces. Throwing one to Hermione and then another to Ron, he dropped his to the ground. "There are three charms on each one… I had them made. One for each of us."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she looked down to see a broomstick, a chess piece and a book all attached to the necklace. "Harry…"

"You know what hurts the worst?" He didn't pause for an answer. His eyes moved up to Hermione's as he upended the sack and let another box fall out and into his hand. "I wasn't a day late coming here without a great reason… besides the necklaces…"

Hermione's eyes widened at the small box in Harry's hand. "Your parents say _hello_, by the way, and to call them as soon as you get a moment."

"M-my… my parents?"

Harry nodded as he tossed the box to her, the fire having completely left his eyes. He looked defeated. Broken. "I agreed that we were too young for being engaged…" His voice filled Hermione's ears as she opened the box to find a small ring inside, three green stones set inside the gold. "A promise. That's what I wanted to offer you. Your mother cried and your father shook my hand."

Hermione's whole existence felt over as she looked up at the man she loved, not understanding why things had spiraled out of control as they had. Everyone else in the room vanishing from her thoughts in that moment as she felt the enormity of what she'd done press against her chest. "I…"

Harry pointed, his voice not loud or cruel. Just tired. "There's an inscription on the inside. Its says _My Promise to You_. _Forever_" Hermione felt the bubble of nausea fill her throat as she tried to suck in enough oxygen not to faint.

"We promised each other to wait before becoming intimate, not wanting to ruin it by going too fast... the war with Voldemort looming over us." Harry's voice broke slightly and Hermione wanted to go to him. "To always be honest with each other, to care for one another… That you gave your first time to… someone else…" He let the words fall away as fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.

Harry sighed. "I have just one promise left for you, Hermione. It was supposed to be something different, but I guess the ring can signify a different promise than what it was originally intended for."

"Please…" She knew what was coming.

Harry watched her as she knelt on the floor, her legs refusing to hold her up anymore as the tears fell and she cried aloud. "I promise that I will never give you a chance to hurt me again."

Ron moved to go to Hermione, but at Harry's look, he dropped his hands and stood silently. As Harry turned, he watched as several of the women members of the Order… all but Ginny and Luna… moved quickly over to check on the bushy haired brunette. Harry intentionally pressed his boots down on the third necklace that he'd dropped, the loud cracking of the charms signifying everything that he'd said.

Without another word, Harry left the house. Through the doorway, they watched as the young man that had been deemed "the Chosen One" and "The-Boy-Who-Lived" stepped off the front porch of the only place he had ever called home and apparated away without a sound.

O X O X O X O X O X O

A/N: So? I can keep going with this if people think it's worth more chapters. I actually have about ten or so chapters written in my head on where I think this might go.

Review.

Let me know.

Oh. And don't worry. I'm still working on "The-Boy-Who-Vanished." Just needed to try something different.


	2. In The Kitchen

IN THE KITCHEN

"Wh-what just happened?" George Weasley… or maybe Fred, stated into the silence after Harry had vanished.

The room was full of people now staring at one another dumbly, the insanity of the argument that had been unable to escape, forced to endure, still raw and harsh in their mind's eye. For the scant breath of mere seconds, the only sound that was there was that of Hermione Granger crying and that of several of the female members of the Order including Hestia Jones and Minerva McGonagall, trying to calm the young woman down.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Molly's voice suddenly shrieked. "What is going on here!"

The youngest male child of her brood ducked his head, his face wracked with guilt and shame, as his eyes darted first away from his mother and towards where Hermione was curled up at the foot of the staircase, before slowly dragging towards his girlfriend… possibly ex after everything.

Luna leaned into Ron's sister, Ginny. Her best friend. Luna's pale eyes were shrouded from his sight, her blonde hair covering most of her face… and that which he could spy was in close contact with his sister's… Ginny's eyes. However, were glaring daggers at him. Dead, if looks could kill.

Ron realized the enormity of what had happened, his mind still reeling that he couldn't understand how he and Hermione had ended up having sex. With a heavy sigh, Ron turned to look up at his mother whose gaze looked worse than all the descriptions that his best… his former best friend, he amended silently, had ever told of He-Who-Must-not-Be-Named.

Gripping the chain that Harry had thrown at him tightly in his fist, the impressions of the three charms digging tightly into his skin, Ron shook his head and allowed himself to be directed forcibly by his mum and dad out of the living room and into the kitchen.

O X O X O X O X O X O

"Ronald!" Molly screamed once the door between the living room and the kitchen had been shut, a quick silencing charm thrown up for privacy. "How dare y…"

Arthur Weasley's hand rested gently on his wife's shoulder, cutting her off in mid word. As the two looked at one another, some silent exchange seemed to pass between their eyes. For what seemed an eternity to Ron, their wills battled until finally Molly nodded once, a gesture Ron might have missed if he hadn't been watching. His mum looked at him one last time, her eyes and facial expression one of disappointment, before she stood from the table and walked over to the sink. He could see her shoulders shaking.

"Son."

At his father's word, Ron pulled his gaze from his weeping mother and looked straight into the face of the one man Ron had respected above all others his entire life. "What happened, Ron? What's this all about?"

Wiping at his face, Ron opened his hand and stared down at the necklace. His first attempt at answering failed, his throat not able to sound out the words he so desperately wanted to say… what could he say? "I don't know, Dad."

"What do you mean that you don't know?" his father's voice, while not hard, definitely was not warm either. "We've just had Harry… your best friend since you started to school, just throw you across the room and near on kill you for supposedly…" Arthur looked at Molly before sighing. "Supposedly stealing Hermione from him."

Ron was already shaking his head. "No. I didn't steal her. I couldn't. She's in love with him as much as he is… was, maybe, with her."

He watched as his father's eyes narrowed in confusion, the wheels inside trying to work out what was going on. Ron knew, the information didn't make sense. "I don't…"

"Look." Ron interrupted. "Hermione and I were up late last night. She was worried about how things were going to be… on…" He paused. "On the task that Dumbledore asked Harry to do."

He knew he was being vague, but Ron had already betrayed Harry's trust once. He wasn't going to do it again if he could help it. "We stayed up and we…"

"You slept together?" Ron's father asked. They both ignored how Molly was banging around in the kitchen, pulling things out of the pantry only to return than after only a few moments..

He shrugged, his eyes never wavering from his father's. "I'm not sure…"

"Not sure!" His mother turned, her face scarlet. "You do something like… like… like this and you say you're not sure! You are not the kind of man I raised you to be. Not at all!"

Ron shrank under his mother's verbal assault. His father had stood to try and block the woman from reaching him, only barely able to deflect her arm, brandishing a rolling pin at his head.

"Molly!" He screamed. "That will be enough!"

Once calmed down… well… at least not trying to literally take the son she brought into this world back out of it, Ron's father sat back down in front of Ron. Afraid to look anywhere near where his mum was standing, her breathing heavy, Ron sighed and buried his face in his hands, elbows on the table.

"I don't know, Dad. I mean it." His voice broke and tears filled his eyes. "I love Luna. You know that. I can't understand what happened. I just… I… Dad…."

Arthur took pity on his son and reached over to pat his shoulder. Ron took the gesture, a beacon of hope, and moved suddenly into his father's arms, wanting nothing more than to be comforted as a child rather than considered an adult.

Surprised, Arthur could only hug his son, his eyes darting to meet his wife's as they both looked on in obvious worry. Refusing to let Ron go, he sighed as he spoke quietly. "What do you remember? Tell me everything."

Ron nodded, his breath heavy. "We were talking. It was about an hour or so after everyone else had gone to bed. Hermione was upset because Harry had supposed to arrive already and he was no where to be found… no one was talking."

"Right. Go one." Arthur encouraged.

"We were sitting there eating the cookies and milk Mum had left for her and…"

"Cookies?" Molly's voice came from the right. Involuntarily, Ron flinched at his mother's voice. "What cookies?"

Arthur turned to look at his wife as Ron pulled back and glanced back and forth between his parents. "The pumpkin cookies you left in Harry's room. We figured that you'd left them there for him when he'd arrived…"

Molly was shaking her head side to side. "I didn't leave any cookies in his room… I haven't even made pumpkin cookies lately."

Before Arthur could wrap his mind at the implications, Ron was standing with a look of sheer determination plastered across his features. "We were set up."

"Now… wait just a moment…." Arthur tried to reach for his son's arm, but he'd already moved.

"Don't you see…" Ron's voice grew louder. "I didn't betray him… Hermione didn't…"

"Yes we did."

Everyone in the kitchen stopped at the voice. Turning, they found Hermione standing in the open doorway. She looked horrible… as if her world had crashed down around her. Molly noted sadly that it probably just had.

Ron looked bewildered. "Herm. How can you say that! We were under a spell or something… Harry'd have to understand that."

The bushy-haired girl shook her head, the tears had stopped but her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks stained by their falling. "Ron… we slept together. I just gave up my… my virginity to you… something that I was saving for him… for my Harry."

Ron started to draw closer, but at his movement, Hermione stepped back in order to keep distance between them. Seeing what she'd done, Ron stepped away from her, allowing for as much room to be between them as she wanted.

"He has to believe us… you… me." Arthur looked at his son as he said those words, realization that the enormity of what had happened not having sunk in all the way yet.

She ran her hand over her face. "Ron… "

"Hermione." Ron's father held his hand up to forestall her answering. At her nod, he turned and looked directly at his son. "Imagine catching Neville and Luna together."

Ron barked a laugh. "Never happen in a million years. Luna loves me."

"Like Hermione loves Harry?" His father countered.

Ron started to respond, but stopped after he opened his mouth. He tried several times before tilting his head and meeting his father's gaze. "But it was forced… we didn't mean for this… he can't blame us… we've got to make him understand." The last word was almost pleading.

"Why?" Hermione asked as she opened her hand to stare at the necklace. Ron noted that the promise ring was not on it as well as the charms. "We force him to live with the fact that you and I were together and its okay since it was forced?"

Ron nodded. "You could make him see it was the truth. It didn't mean anything."

At his words, Hermione sighed and the tears started to fall again. "Will you let Harry shag Luna to make up for it?"

Even Arthur and Molly were shocked at her words. Ron backed up until he hit the cabinets behind him, his eyes never leaving Hermione's earnest face. "What? Why?"

Closing her eyes, she moved over to sit at the table, her body falling hard into the chair. "Ron. I love you. You are my best friend in the whole world, but you're not getting it at all."

Ron looked helplessly at his parents, his whole face showing that he didn't understand. Molly went over to Hermione to offer her a hug, but Hermione flinched as the woman approached, her eyes sad. Ron's mum looked heartbroken.

"I want to go home." Hermione said finally. "Can someone take me home, please?"

Arthur looked at her, not knowing what he could possibly say to make things right. "What about the Order? You and…" He gulped. "You and Harry and Ron were going to talk about something important… about defeating Him."

Ron looked sadly over as his friend shook her head. "I convinced H-Harry to trust the Order, to tell you what we had planned." She twisted at her hair. "I can't tell it. Neither can Ron. You'll have to convince… to get Harry to tell you."

"Hermione…"

But the girl stood, her face tight to keep from crying any further. "I need to go home and explain to my parents that I just royally fucked up my life."

As she moved to go out the door, Molly once again tried to draw the younger female to her to offer support. Hermione refused it all. "Dear…"

Hermione interrupted. "Someone needs to go after Harry. To stop him. He's going to try it all on his own now." She sniffed. "He's alone now.

"What is he doing?" Arthur asked.

"He's going to try and kill Voldemort." She responded simply before she walked out of the kitchen.

O X O X O X O X O X O

The meeting had pretty much ended before it had ever started after the show that had been put on. Those that were staying at the Burrow quickly and quietly slinked away to whatever room they could hide in, trying to be away from any further fallout that might occur, while everyone that had an excuse or reason to leave were out the door without a goodbye. But for those that should be there and one, the Burrow was peaceful again.

So ii was with a heavy heart that Hermione Jane Granger, the almost daughter of Molly Weasley and the almost _promised_ girlfriend to Harry Potter, walked out of the kitchen and up the staircase to the room she shared with Ginny, conspicuously absent, and slowly packed her suitcase, leaving a note for Ginny to inform Ron to keep her pink pajama bottoms that he had mistakenly put on in the rush this morning to catch Harry.

Was it just this morning? It seemed like so much longer… years, maybe. Hermione glanced at her watch to see that it wasn't even past noon, yet. Her world had crashed in the matter of moments as her mind forced her to relive seeing Harry this morning…

_There'd been a quick knock on the door. Hermione had known something was wrong when the intruding knock had come from towards the foot of the bed rather than to her left as it would have been if she'd been asleep on her cot in Ginny's room. She'd shifted then, the warm pressure of another body in bed with her and she'd smiled immediately in her sleepy haze, the thought that she'd fallen asleep and Harry had joined her in the bed… a tradition they'd started during their sixth year when she'd keep his nightmares from returning. _

_But something had been different. Wrong. It the fraction of a moment her mind had to take, Hermione felt that she was nude under the comforter, as was the very male body snuggled in spooning behind her. Worse, however, had been the slow realization of the ache she felt between her legs._

_It took that moment for the dots to connect. _

_In fear, Hermione tried to pull herself out of Ron's grasp, his voice mumbling Luna's name in obvious displeasure at being jostled around so early in the morning. Morning! In that instant, Hermione realized that it was Harry opening the door._

Hermione wiped at the fresh tears that she knew were running down her face at remembering the look in Harry's face when he'd found her… his girlfriend and (as she knew know) soon to be promised love, fighting for the blanket to cover her shame which only brought in stark view that his best friend had been in a state of similar undress in bed with her.

She'd expected to die in that moment. No. She'd prayed to die, but death was a luxury for the virtuous… something she could no longer acclaim to be. Her vow to the love of her life broken forever, never to be regained.

Harry had turned and left, the door slamming, ignoring her call for him to wait, not that she could blame him. Ron had been a flurry of action, his hands moving to grab discarded clothing along the floor to cover himself and give chase.

She'd know, even then, that it was over and that everything was broken.

Sighing, Hermione lifted her suitcase from the cot and moved out the door, her footsteps echoing lightly in the quiet house. She made her way down the stairs where Hestia Jones, an Auror and Order member, waited patiently for her at the fireplace.

"We're going to Floo to a safehouse and then drive you home." The older witch offered.

Hermione only nodded. Her parents were expecting her to call and tell them about the promise ring. Grimacing, Hermione pulled out the necklace and fingered the ring she'd placed around her neck… a constant reminder of what she'd lost, as she nodded again silently.

As they drew closer to the magical flame, a voice called for her. "Hermione! Wait!"

Turning, she watched as Ginny bounded out from the kitchen, her hair flying madly behind her. Hermione waited as the smaller girl bent over to catch her breath, apparently having run a distance to catch her in time.

Ginny finally stood and looked at her solemnly. "Mum told me about the cookies." She paused for breath. "I'll find out what happened for you."

Hermione realized that Ginny was trying, so she therefore attempted to smile in appreciation. "Thank you. Make sure you let Ron know whatever you find."

The small redhead quirked her left eyebrow. "Don't you want to know? I could use your help."

She shook her head and she leaned down to hug her best girlfriend, maybe for the last time. "I'm going home, Gin."

"You say that like its forever."

Hermione shrugged as her fingers reached to her chest and played with the promise ring around her neck. "Maybe it is."

Ginny watched as her best friend took the offered Floo powder and vanished into the green flames. She waited as the flickers of green died away, the house falling to an unearthly silence once again. Turning with purpose, the smallest and youngest of the Weasley's stormed up the stairs to begin her hunt for who had decided to break up the Golden Trio.


	3. Sanctuary

A/N: It has been brought to my attention that I have perhaps not given a lot of (or enough) information regarding the set-up of this story. Yes, it is an Alternate Universe tale.

Do you know everything? No.

Do I? Not yet.

It was my plan to slowly give out the needed info as it came. Harry and Hermione got together in fifth year. It's the summer before their seventh year, not too many days before Harry's 17th birthday and Bill and Fluer's wedding…. Dumbledore is still dead. Ginny seems to be over her crush with Harry. Ron was dating Luna.

There are still Horocruxes… Voldemort… Snape and Draco still were atop the tower, Harry forced to watch…

Just go with it here… I'm just having some fun.

Thanks for all the reviews.

O X O X O X O X O X O

SANCTUARY

After several jumps, trying to blow off some of the excess anger he could feel coursing through his body, Harry finally reached his home, Number Twelve Grimmald Place. It was an ugly home, a manor left to him by his late Godfather, Sirius Black, but it did have the luxury of being paid for and being entirely his.

The tears had stopped, thankfully. Harry ran his hand along his jaw line feeling the rough stubble that danced along his chin. Maybe a beard. Or a goatee. He laughed at the absurd thought, his mind subconsciously flittering over anything and everything to keep from wallowing in a despair over the love of his life throwing everything away… and that he couldn't count on his best mate to help him since he was the one she cheated with.

"Harry Potter, sir." Dobby suddenly appeared from the doorway to the kitchen, his hands wiping the washcloth in their grasp over and over, obviously nervous. "Dobby is sorry that not everything is ready for you and your friends to be back… Dobby was not expecting Harry Potter back so soon. Dobby is a bed house elf and will…"

Harry waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. It's okay. Really." The house elf didn't look entirely convinced; his huge eyes staring in an almost worshipful way at him, but Dobby nodded his acceptance anyway.

"Does Harry Potter wish for anything?" He was smiling now, his body literally vibrating with enthusiasm to serve him. "Food or a bath, maybe?"

Harry sighed and moved over to one of the plush chairs in the main room. Sitting down, idly noting that there was no explosion of dust from his attack on the chair's cushion, Harry shook his head, tearing his glasses off of his face, haphazardly dropping them to the floor. His eyes closed, he never looked to see Dobby's movements, carefully saving the glasses from striking the floor.

"Does Harry Po…"

"Dobby." Harry sighed. "Who all can come here? To my house?"

The house elf played absently with the Hawaiian shirt that was tied around his waist like a skirt as he threw the washrag onto his shoulder. "To Harry Potter's House? The Order, minus the evil Snape. Harry Potter's friends, his Lady and his Wheezy and…"

"Dobby." Harry interrupted him, his voice tired. Can you block everyone? Keep me alone here for a while?"

Dobby's eyes seemed to wilt as he felt the rolls of unhappiness wave from Harry, the weight of his emotional pain filling the room. "What would Harry Potter like me to do?"

Leaving his eyes closed, trying to banish the mental images of Hermione and Ron together, the things that they might have done… those same things that Harry had been dreaming of doing with her, relentlessly pursuing him, the proverbial knife plunged deeper and deeper into his heart. "First, block off the Floo. No one in, no one out."

With a snap of his fingers, Dobby sealed the Floo.

"Next, reinforce the anti-apparation fields. For right now, no one in or out."

"Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby's voice was hesitant. When Harry finally opened his eyes to look at him, Dobby smiled weakly. "Can Dobby still be allowed to go as needed to take care of Harry Potter?"

Harry nodded. "Of course, Dobby. You can take care of me."

The little elf's face lit up at Harry's words. He snapped his fingers again and the House sparkled with magic, the resistance field settling into place. "How long should Dobby leave it like this?"

Harry shifted comfortably in the chair, glad for his friend's questions, keeping his mind on tasks at hand, not dwelling on… Shaking his head to stop that train of thoughts, Harry opened his eyes and sat up, his elbows on his knees. "How about for two days. After that, open it up for me."

Dobby nodded. "As Harry Potter wishes." Twiddling his fingers, Dobby seemed to almost dance in place, the desire to ask another question apparent, even to a Harry that was nearly blind without his eyeglasses.

"Yes?"

"Well, Harry Potter, sir…" Dobby stepped closer and began to whisper. "Is Harry Potter hiding?"

Hiding? Harry considered the question. Finally, he nodded. "I guess I am… for a little while, anyway. But I can't go far, so I came here and asked you to help me keep everyone else away."

Dobby's face broke into a huger grin. "Harry Potter is a great wizard, asking Dobby's help. Dobby is glad to help in any way that he can for you are a powerful wizard…"

Laughing, Harry wandlessly summoned his glasses to him. "Well, thanks to your help," He interrupted. "I am safe from intruders."

Harry stopped at the stricken face on the elf. "Harry Potter, sir. You need to still lock all doors and windows, they is a normal way to come in."

He smiled at Dobby. Leave it to a house elf to realize the muggle way of doing things, when a muggle raised wizard had been too blind to do it. "Great idea, Dobby. Can you seal everything up?"

"Oh, yes, Harry Potter. Dobby will do that right now."

Harry was always amazed, the power that the house elves seemed to have. With a third snap of his fingers, throughout the Grimmald Place, Harry heard the echoes of the doors and windows snapping shut, followed briefly by the sweet hum of magic as they were all sealed.

Glancing around the room, Harry stood. "Thank you, Dobby."

Dobby merely bowed, the wash towel falling off of his shoulder. "It is always a pleasure to serve the great Harry Potter. Sir."

Cheekily, Harry started walking towards the kitchen. "Well then, you should know that it is always a pleasure to be served by the wise and powerful Dobby…"

Harry, entering the kitchen, failed to see the rosy blush that filled the house elf's cheeks at the words of praise.

O X O X O X O X O X O

Nymphadora Tonks, though if anyone ever dared calling her by her first name she'd teach them why it wasn't safe to piss her off, tried to lift her head from where it was resting. The attempt was unsuccessful, especially as her face seemed to be stuck to the hard surface her cheek was laying against. Blinking her eyes rapidly, unsure of her predicament, Tonks found herself lying on the floor next to her bed. Scattered along the floor in her immediate vision were several bottles of fire-whiskey, butter-beer and other spirited concoctions that took away the pain she was feeling.

Remus had finally and definitely told her that he wasn't interested. Sure, he was flattered at the attention, but he just wasn't interested in a child sixteen years his junior. She'd cried. She screamed. She'd broken so many things, priceless memories that seemed no like nothing. Then she'd tried drinking.

Now, she was hung-over.

Finally awake enough to realize where she was and that it was a mess of her own making, Tonks moved her hands to a proper position and slowly pulled away from the hardwood floor of the bedroom, the skin on her face finally giving to the dried and very sticky remains of the spilt bottles around her.

Finally upright, the smell of the room hit her and she almost gagged. Looking around, Tonks sought to find the source of the offending odor, when she stopped and wrinkled her nose, before lifting the shirt she was wearing.

"Oh, Circe! It's me!" She griped in obvious self-disgust.

Standing quickly, though she had to throw a hand out towards the wall to prevent herself from falling from the vertigo that washed over her briefly, Tonks immediately began pealing away the clothes she was wearing into a pile to be discarded, preferably incinerated to ash, and took off for the bathroom that was across the hallway.

After entering the bathroom and trying not to let out a shriek as her bare feet touched the seemingly ice cold tile of the loo's floor, she quickly closed the door and moved over to run the hot water for a quick shower. A bath would have been preferable, but she'd made the mistake of drinking at Grimmald Place and that meant that there was no telling when Remus might show up.

Scrubbing at her skin, Tonks grinned as the heat seemed to open her up, allowing for her to feel more like herself. Before she'd gotten into the shower, she'd intentionally avoided the mirror, not wanting to realize how her metamorphmagus abilities had interpreted the act of trying to drink oneself into oblivion.

Turning the water off, she took a moment to run her hands across her wet skin, her flesh pimpling under the contact as goose flesh rose everywhere, the cool air of the house wanting to invade against the slowly fading steam. Sadly, she grabbed the nearest towel and began drying herself off, her thoughts dancing along where she needed to go once she made it away from here.

There had been an important Order meeting this morning. Tonks mentally kicked herself at letting her failure of a relationship with Remus _bloody_ Lupin to interfere with helping Harry. Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. The Chosen One. She smiled as she considered what a powerful wizard he was growing up to be, so much like his parents.

She sighed as she quickly finished her toileting, the minty taste of the off brand of toothpaste lingering in her mouth as she wrapped the towel around her and opened the door to go back to her room. Halfway across the carpeted floor, voices from the main floor pulled at her attention and stopped her from going to the bedroom she'd been using and leaving.

Cursing her own curiosity, Tonks ran a hand through her wet hair and moved over to the edge of the balcony at the edge of the staircase leading down to the first floor. She felt her eyes widen as she watched Harry Potter, speak of the devil, and Dobby talking and walking out of her line of sight, most likely moving towards the kitchen.

Tonks sat there, waiting quietly as she considered what was going on. At the very least, the meeting was over… but why? Looking behind her at the old grandfather clock resting against the wall of the hallway, she could easily see that everyone should have only just made it to the Burrow thirty minutes or so ago. Why in Morganna's name was Harry back here already?

Chewing on her bottom lip, Tonks sighed and decided to go back to her room to put something decent on… skulking around in a towel and dripping water everywhere wasn't going to get her anywhere, at least no where that her Mum and Dad would approve of. She turned, trying to be as silent as possible, when the heel of her left foot seemed to decide at that instant to not hold her weight, causing her to trip face forward, her momentum only stopped briefly by her hands letting go of the towel and catching her weight.

Tonks sighed in relief, though she knew that Dobby had probably heard the commotion. Pushing up, Tonks was able to right herself long enough to grab the edges of the towel and hold them together when her hand slipped from the water dripping from her and her balance was lost again, this time resulting in her weight shifting enough that she began to fall down the stairwell.

Modesty be damned, Tonks knew that she could be a covered corpse or naked and alive, so she immediately let go of the towel and used both hands to grab the guard railing along the stairs. The result was not too catastrophic as she found herself three steps from the top of the staircase, both hands tightly gripping the rails on either side of the steps, her legs spread wide.

It was this position, her breath deepening as she recovered from the rush of adrenalin, that she looked up to find a fidgeting house elf staring at her with very, very… very wide unblinking eyes and a smirking, albeit blushing, Harry Potter.

"So… Tonks." She was frozen as Harry covered his mouth with his hand, apparently trying to hold back his laughter. She ignored the heat she felt rushing through her own skin. "nice of you to drop by. I'd offer to take your coat for you, but seeing as…"

"Not. Another. Word." She spit out every word, her face going an even deeper scarlet, as she stood with an alacrity that surprised even Dobby and turned her back, her hands trying to cover everything and covering nothing all at the same time. "A gentleman would turn his back."

She could feel his grin. "Thank Merlin I'm not a gentleman."

"Harry!" She yelled, outraged.

She took a step to reach for the towel, when it suddenly rose on its own accord and quickly wrapped itself around her. The proper bits all covered, she took a breath to steady her nerves as she turned and looked at Harry, a scowl on her face.

Opening her mouth to give him a good what for, the metamorphmagus stopped as she got a good look at Harry. Sure, he was still smirking at her, a look she'd often seen of the male half of the species whenever they'd finally gotten a good look at something they shouldn't have… and she decided to ignore the rush of satisfaction and pleasure she felt all the way to her toes at his look… but that Harry's eyes seemed dull.

Her Auror training kicking in, she could immediately tell that he'd been crying, something Tonks knew for a fact he rarely ever did. Hi shoulders were sagged, his posture one of a dog that had been repeatedly kicked, rather than the cocky, arrogant teen that, along with his two best friends, had tormented her during the school year when she was assigned to keep watch over him.

There had been such laughter at Harry and Hermione trying to escape her sight, their desire for some alone time to go snog in a broom closet enough that they had eventually escaped Tonks' duty to watch over them… though that they got away from all of the other Order members helped alleviate some of the sting at being outwitted by randy teenagers.

But that person was gone. Harry cocked his eyebrow at her, her silent observation of him apparently taking too long, and she fought to keep another rush of red from her face. "Sorry." She waved her hand to distract him as she tightened her grip on the towel's edge around her…

She was practically naked in front of him, a young man that she had grown friendly with, a sister to brother type bond, she continued to tell herself, she was much to old to be having _those_ type of thoughts about him… why, she was nearly…

Nearly what? Remus' voice called to her from the past.

Shaking her head, Tonks decided to take charge of the situation. Pushing down her embarrassment, she moved quickly up to Harry and pulled him into a hug, the pressure of their two bodies together keeping the towel from falling. She knew it, could feel it in her bones that he was hurting, her earlier discomfort and ran her hands through his hair as she pulled his head to her shoulder. She felt tears come unbidden to her own eyes as Harry Potter, the wizard to save us all, broke down and started crying, his arms wrapping tightly around her.

"Shhh…" Tonks continued to run her fingers through his hair as she noted that Dobby had made himself scarce. "Its okay, Harry. Its okay…"

Silently, as Harry continued to break down, Tonks silently swore to destroy whoever had hurt her Harry.


	4. Granger Discussions

GRANGER DISCUSSIONS

Staring out her window up into the summer sky, she could only look at the stars. Wishes for those that had a heart left to dream. She had nothing but the pain. Hermione sighed as she hugged the stuffed monster to her chest, her feet curled under her legs as she continued to look longingly out into the darkness… a Wendy praying for her Peter, though there was now no chance of flying so free again.

Ignoring the nausea that caused her stomach to churn again, Hermione looked down at the ugly toy in her arms, the first gift that Harry had given her after they'd officially come out together as boyfriend and girlfriend. She'd been shocked at the stuffed monstrosity, only her parents having brought her up right had she graciously accepted the gift. He'd been so happy that she'd liked it; he'd been on cloud nine. Hermione had wanted to lock it away in a trunk that would never open.

It had finally been Lavender of all people that had explained it to her. The blonde bombshell that she had somehow become friends with to set her straight and leaving her to realize that the depths to Harry Potter were more than she had ever truly appreciated before.

"_You don't even get it, do you?" Lavender's voice had been harsh. "A boyfriend that gives a thoughtful gift instead of the standard of candies and roses, and you just toss it aside."_

_Hermione had been angry, but the girl's words had hit hard. "Thoughtful? How is an ugly stuffed animal thoughtful?" She pointed to where it had been sitting on her bed. "You would want something like that?"_

_Lavender had thrown herself down on her own bed, her hands clenched. "That in particular…no." Her head shook from side to side. "It doesn't mean to me what it should to you. He'd have to find something else special to me."_

"_How can you say I should appreciate an ugly stuffed monster…"_

"_Troll." Lavender had spat._

_Hermione had stopped then, the words she'd been about to say had faded like bubbles under the ocean. "What?"_

"_For someone so smart, you can be a real idiot sometimes." Lavender had lifted herself up to a sitting position on her bed. "It's not a monster, Hermione. It's a troll."_

"_A troll…"_

"_Like the whole reason that you two ever got close." Lavender directed her along the thought. "He saved you from a troll."_

She'd broken down, then, much like she had with her parents earlier… the fact that she was constantly ruining everything with Harry, depending upon someone else to save her. The toy troll had gone with her everywhere after the conversation with Lavender. Hermione had carried the fluffy figure and had carried it to Harry and begged his forgiveness, her guilt finally outweighing her fear of what Harry would do… but he had only smiled and kissed her, making the world okay again.

There had been fights since… the arguments over Draco Malfoy, Harry being proven right again as Snape and Draco allowed for Death Eaters to attack the school from within. Hermione had felt like less than dungeon slime at not trusting in Harry, but he'd not even considered it at all, instead turning to her for comfort at the loss of Albus Dumbledore.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she counted all of the fights and arguments and spats and disagreements since they'd gotten together… everything, and it all led her to one simple conclusion: it was all worth it, every heartache and every crossed word, if at the end of the day she had Harry's love, it had been a trial worth suffering through.

And that led to the crux of her dilemma. She didn't have Harry's love anymore.

Someone had cast a spell on those cookies which had led to her and Ron, Harry and her best friend, to have sex together, effective destroying hers and Harry's relationship; his and Luna's; but worst of all, the dynamic of the three of them together was destroyed…

And now Harry was off by himself, most likely intending to try and destroy the horocruxes, Voldemort's soul fragments, alone.

"Honey?"

Hermione turned to find her mother standing in the doorway, the antique teas set in her hands. She focused on the sterling of the pot and tray, the flowered patterns on the cups and bowls rather than the piteous look that filled her Mum's gaze.

Nodding silently, Hermione moved over to move a few books off of her desk so that her mother could set the tea set down. Tears threatened to fall again as she watched her movements knock over a picture that held the spot of prominence on the desk, her and Harry. She noted that the wizarding picture had the two of the separated, Hermione crying and Harry with his back turned away from her rather than the normal view of the two of them hugging and laughing.

After her mother set the tea down, Hermione moved over to sit on the foot of her bed as her mother poured tea. She watched as the older woman took a deep breath through her nose and Hermione braced herself for what was about to be said. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier."

Hermione nodded silently. There was no reason to bring up that her parents had offered no comfort, no support after they'd learned what had happened.

Sure, everything had started okay with Hermione arriving at her front door in a state of emotional hysteria. Her mother and father had immediately dragged her into the house and started railing on her questions… concern tinting every inquiry. Once the chance of physical damage had been gotten out of the way, her mother had immediately started about if Harry was okay.

Her parents both knew of the danger Harry was in. It was yet another nail in her coffin that he'd saved her from her parents, the fact that she'd never told her parents all of the truth about the state of the wizarding world. Harry had changed all of threat once they had started dating seriously, his love and respect for her enough that he'd felt the need to let her parents know everything… and it would have been bad, but Harry had actually told them everything, even some observations that Hermione herself didn't know or realize. Roger and Dianne Granger never had a chance against that Potter charm.

Soon after, Harry was involved in almost every aspect of her life, not that she minded. He embraced the muggle world just as he did the wizarding, his awful Aunt and Uncle having kept him from the joys that he'd never really understood or experienced in the muggle world. Soon, Hermione found herself seeing the world she'd lived in for her first ten years opening up to her in ways that she'd never appreciated before… and her parents were all for anything that allowed for more time with their only daughter in an environment they could understand.

It was with all this that her parents had to listen as Hermione revealed her betrayal of Harry, though the reason and cause was not hers, but that of spelled cookies. Her mother had broken down, the words forced and rape tumbling out, while her father had wanted to have words with anyone that could do such to his daughter… but that had led to questions about Harry again, which ultimately led to the ring.

Hermione had pulled it out from beneath her shirt, the ring still sparkling, the three charms forcing another threat of wetness from her eyes. Dianne Granger had cried anew… she, at least, understood as only women often can, that Hermione had not been to blame for all that had fallen. Her father, unfortunately, a male and somehow sympathetic to Harry, had demanded to know why she still had Harry's mother's ring.

His mother's?

Hermione had to sit there in silence a she considered the depth of hurt Harry must have endured, must be enduring, she amended, leaving a ring that was one of the few remaining links to his parents with a woman that had cheated on him.

Her father's accusing stance had been too much for her and Hermione had retreated immediately to her room, the sound of rising voices from behind her the only other sound besides the pounding of her feet on the carpeted floor and the sobs she desperately fought to hold back.

"Are you okay?" Her mother's voice broke her from her silent ruminations.

Nodding, she took the offered cup of tea from her mother. "Thank you. And no. I'm not okay. I don't think that I'll ever be okay again."

"Dear…"

"No." Hermione forced a smile at her Mum before sipping at the tea. "I've screwed it up royally this time, Mum… and I can't think of what to do."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

Hermione laughed, hard and brittle. "He nearly killed Ron…"

"Did he hurt you?"

"Physically?" Hermione was already shaking her head. "Barely raised his voice to me. I can say that if I'd found him in such a state that I wouldn't have started throwing curses and hexes around and wait for questions and answers after the smoke had cleared."

"What are you going to do?" Her mother asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea. Normally, I'd have the others to rely on in cases where things weren't going right… but that's gone now, too. There's no way I can talk to Ron, and then there's his entire family and that includes Ginny. Lavender and Pavarti are on vacation and not due back until a few days before school starts."

"And the grownups?"

Sighing, Hermione finished her tea, glad for the warmth that filled her stomach. "The Order is in disarray. I think that there was an unspoken hope that Harry, Ron and I were going to help provide some direction… that was the reason for the big meeting this morning."

"I take it that…"

"The drama of my life took over." Hermione finished sarcastically. "Oh, you could say that."

"Well…" Dianne finally took a sip of her own tea. "What about the big plan? Surely Harry still needs to find these things you won't tell me about."

Yeah, but not with me or Ron." Hermione set her empty cup down, her fingers shaking. "He's gone off to meet his destiny and I'm here… and all I can think of is that whenever he did anything off on his own, the results were always worse than when there was someone to cover his back."

"Maybe he can find someone to help him out." Her Mum offered.

Hermione wiped at her cheeks. "That's what I'm afraid of… that he'll find someone else.

O X O X O X O X O X O

"Have you tried talking to him?" Roger Granger sighed, his hands gripping the bottled beer in his hand so tightly that his knuckles were white. "There's got to be something…"

Remus Lupin was leaned back in the chair, his eyes boring holes into the kitchen table where his own beer sat untouched. Licking his lips, he brought his gaze up to meet that of the man who he'd come to regard as a friend, all due to introductions from the young man they were currently discussing. "Harry won't talk until he's ready."

Roger pushed off from the kitchen counter where he'd been leaning, his face turning up to look at the ceiling, the direction of his look to where he'd see his wife and daughter if the minor detail of walls and the ceiling hadn't been in the way. "She's hurting… aching for him. They're so much in love."

"And you know as well as I do how hard a love like that can turn ugly." Remus finally took a pull off of the beer. Setting the bottle back down, he sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. "You tell me, Roger… you come home tomorrow night to find Dianne in bed with another man. We can prove that she didn't want to, but the fact still remains…"

"That she slept with another man,"

He hated what he was about to do, but Remus' loyalty was to Harry. First, foremost and always. "Now imagine that it happened while Dianne was still a virgin, before you and she had had your moment."

All of the colour drained from the man's face at his words. Remus nodded at the look of incredulity that filled the man's gaze. "Harry and Hermione had both decided to wait… maybe marriage or maybe not, to make sure it was a commitment that they could share forever."

"Her mother and I hoped… but we never really believed…" Roger ran a hand over his balding head, his eyes losing focus. "It's a father's worst nightmare, the wondering about his daughter's sexual experience…"

Remus nodded. "Harry always respected her…"

The fist slamming down on the table caused the beer bottle to overturn, the malted liquor spilling across the rough wooden finish and falling to the marble tiled floor. The sometimes werewolf met the man's eyes and could easily recognize the anger… the rage that was there. "I want to know who did this! Who did this to my daughter!"

Remus idly righted the overturned bottle. He grabbed a handful of napkins in the center of the table and tried mopping up the amber spill, but only ended up making more of a mess. "I agree, and trust me when I say people are looking into this, but I'm not sure what can be done…"

"I want to talk to Harry. He'll see me."

"No." Remus sighed, throwing the wet napkins down in disgust. "You won't. He's locked himself in there so tight that nobody is going to see him until he's ready."

"Just knock down the door. Break open a window or something." Roger sounded desperate.

"He's used magic to seal the house… most likely with the assistance of a very loyal house elf." Remus took a sip of the beer left in the bottom of the bottle. "Unless he decides to open up, everyone else is going to be locked out."

"Have you tried the fireplace… or an owl? Anything?"

Remus nodded. "Nothing works."

Roger sighed loudly as he threw his empty beer bottle in the trash. "Why would someone do this? What kind of sick…"

"It may have been a plan by the enemy… a way to disrupt Harry's confidence." Remus offered as he accepted another beer from Roger, who pulled a fresh one for himself from the icebox. "Or it could have been someone that just wanted them apart."

"Who's looking into it?"

Remus laughed after he swallowed nearly half the bottle. "Everyone, to one extent or another, but the one leading the charge is probably the best person for the job."

"Really?" Roger's eyebrows went high on his forehead. "Who?"

Remus took another drink before answering. "Ginny Weasley." At Roger's look of skepticism, Remus leaned closer to the other man. "She's a good friend to both Harry and Hermione… brother to Ron… and one of the youngest ever to be inducted to the Order… but more than all of that, she's in love with Harry; has been ever since she laid eyes on him. It nearly broke her heart when he and Hermione got together."

"How is that a good thing?"

"Because," Remus killed off his beer. "She plans on getting Harry for herself on her own merits, not because someone used magic to get them apart.

"You mean she'd get them back together…"

"Just so that _she_ could be the reason they finally break apart for good?" Remus reached for another beer. "Oh, yeah. Definitely."


	5. The Promise

A/N: First, thanks for everyone that has reviewed so far. Like I stated in the first chapter, this could have easily been a one-shot. I'm happy that everyone seems to be liking this so far.

So… who should Harry end up with?

There is Hermione, of course… but what about Ginny? And then there's Luna, who should be just as betrayed feeling as Harry… but ten there's the older woman, Nymphadora Tonks. Just typing the name feels naughty… : grin : And there's a whole world of canon characters out there… Hannah. Susan. Katie. Daphne.

Any suggestions?

And on a completely different front… who put the tainted cookies in the room? Ah… we're looking for a criminal, but what was the crime? And better yet, what was supposed to be the crime?

Well, in the meantime, on with my idea of where things are headed…

O X O X O X O X O X O

THE PROMISE

Praying to Merlin for a miracle, he rapped his knuckles on the window pane for possibly the two-hundredth time. "Luna! Luna? Please… talk to me…"

"Son…"

Ronald Weasley looked down in surprise from his position on his broom towards the ground two stories below. Standing on the back porch, a robe loosely tied around his bulging middle, stood Eugene Lovegood… his hands on his waist and his teeth firmly clamped around the bubble pipe he constantly had with him. Ron noted that he didn't seem too happy at the moment… a fact that he could only guess might have to do with the sun having just barely cracked over the horizon in the east.

"Sir, I'm sorry but I…"

The man closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ronald. You see a good lad, truly you do… and while you and my daughter were happy, I would've welcomed you in this morning for a spot of tea or the like." Ron slowly drifted down allowing gravity to reassert its force over his broom. "But Luna's not happy… and not happy with you, for certain. "

"But…" Ron tried to interject himself, but the older man shook his head and held out his hand, palm up, indicating for Ron to stop… which he did, immediately.

"I know, son. Those twin brothers of yours came over yesterday afternoon or so, bringing Luna's belongings seeing as how she wasn't going to be staying over with you and your folks for the rest of the summer like she had planned. And while she didn't talk to 'em, I did. I know about what Harry found… about the fight… I even know about the cookies, Lady Circe below, do I know about those cookies. But none of that makes two differences to a Shornback's tail right now."

Ron dropped his head and stared at the ground, his feet finally touching the grass and earth. He felt the tears coming back as he looked up into the hard blue eyes of his girlfriend's… maybe ex-girlfriend, he sighed sadly… father. The man puffed out a stream of soapy bubbles from his pipe as he laid a hand briefly on Ron's shoulder. "You have ta respect her, lad. She's upset and, whether you want to admit it or not, you have some part to play in why her heart is broken. It's only by the grace of them cookies that I haven't hunted you down me'self."

Ron's eyes opened wide as he jerked his head back, his whole body trembling under the man's scrutiny. He considered saying something… a joke perhaps, but words failed him.

"I see we're having an understanding, then." Eugene smiled, not unkindly. "Now, why don't you go on home now… let Luna figure out if she is wanting to talk to you or not. She's a smart lass, though few are able to understand the way she thinks. Give it time… if it was meant to be, it will."

"Yes, sir." Ron turned and pushed off from the ground, the broom quickly lifting up. He started to turn, to look one last time into the second floor window whose curtains were drawn… a window that Luna had snuck out of more than once for some midnight snack or rendezvous by the lake between his and her house… instead, however, he kept his eyes forward and flew slowly back home.

Ron never saw the flutter of the curtains, nor the tear-stained cheeks of the pale-eyed girl who watched him fly off.

O X O X O X O X O X O

Drawing a finger lazily across the pages of the Witch Weekly on her lap, Luna looked up from the couch as the hearth of the fireplace suddenly burst into life, the green flames rushing out to fill the entire area in front of her. Gazing intently at the dancing fire, the image of the current headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall suddenly appeared.

"Hello? Miss Lovegood? Might I come and speak with you, dear?"

Luna twisted her hair, ignoring the fact that it was still unwashed after the past few days since Ron and Hermione's tryst had come to light, silently nodded. The older witch, seemingly mollified with the bare assent, seemed to vanish momentarily before she stepped out of the fireplace, the whoosh of air exploding outwards in a rush of air being moved filled the room.

"Thank you." The transfiguration professor smiled briefly as she used her wand to quickly remove all traces of ash from her robes. Finally satisfied, the woman looked up and unflinchingly met the gaze of her student. I am sorry to arrive so, unannounced, as it were, especially with your father out of the house, but I had need of your… unique advice and was hoping you could assist me."

Luna closed the magazine and set it on one of the empty cushions of the sofa and stood. "Of course, professor. How might I help you?" She looked around for her wand, the entire time forgetting that it was perched behind her right ear. "Has there been an early migration of cycloptic imps spotted near Hogwarts again? Such hasn't occurred in nearly three centuries."

If Minerva was perturbed by the younger girl's question, she didn't show it, and instead moved away from the now cool fireplace. "Actually, Miss Lovegood, I was hoping to gain your thoughts about… well, how should I put this?"

"Oh." Luna's voice seemed to lose some of its earlier enthusiasm. "You want to know about Ron and Hermione."

"Well… yes. I do."

The blonde-haired girl nodded as she sat back down, a puppet with its strings suddenly snapped. "If you're wondering about the cookies, Ginny has kept me fairly well informed. It does seem, especially from some of the ones not eaten, that they were laced with several mood altering substances, not the least of which were a muggle… something." Luna's eyes seemed to lose focus. "She called it a hypo… hypno…" She shook her head. It changed what they were seeing and feeling."

Minerva seemed rocked back on her heels. "Really?"

"Oh, yes." Luna nodded. "That doesn't even take into account the derivative of a very unusual love potion… actually, a lust potion might be more appropriate as a description."

"So, Miss Granger and Mister Weasley…"

"Were completely unable to control their actions?" She shrugged. "Daddy took the information that Ginny had brought by yesterday and did a few tests." Luna covered her mouth as she giggled. "There were some very happy people after they tried it."

"He tried it on people?" McGonagall was shocked.

"It's quite all right. They were married and knew that… uhm… physical reactions might occur. They all agreed to it."

Minerva sat down in the chair next to her. "So, it was a deliberate set up."

"That would seem to be the case."

She looked at Luna, her eyes suddenly full of sympathy. "What are you going to do in regards to Mister Weasley?"

Luna looked down at her hands lying idly in her lap. "I've not spoken to him since that morning. I'd like to say that everything is forgiven, that I don't hold him responsible…"

"But you can't."

She shook her head. "No. I can't."

"And if your forgiving your Mister Weasley mi…"

"Not mine."

"I'm sorry?"

Luna smiled softly. "Not my Mister Weasley."

Now Minerva seemed flustered. "Yes. Right. Well, as I was saying… if you could forgive Mister Weasley this… circumstance, then we might find a way to push Mister Potter to let the Order back in."

Luna regarded her. "I thought Tonks was with him."

"Well, yes. She is. But we have had no contact other than a brief message from Nymphadora that she was inside Grimmald Place with mister Potter and that she would make sure that he was unharmed. That was two days ago. We are still no closer to actually speaking with him."

"You're worried about whether they are going to complete Dumbledore's mission."

Minerva nodded. Yes. The Order still has no idea of what we were going to be told. Mister Potter has secluded himself in that… house. Even Remus, the Secret Keeper, has been unable to breach the magics keeping everyone out. Mister Weasley is not talking to anyone outside of his sister and parents… though we feel he might speak with you if you would give him such an opportunity. And, well, Miss Granger is refusing anyone that isn't a muggle."

"How is Hermione?"

"Frankly, I must say that I am surprised you care, especially seeing that she was a part of what occurred involving Mister Weasley."

Smiling, Luna finally found her wand behind her ear and seemed pleased with herself in her discovery. "Not really… I don't blame Ron or Hermione, especially now that I've had time to think about everything and with Ginny explaining the potions and the drugs. I just can't forget."

Minerva nodded in understanding. "From the reports we've gotten from the Order members that are protecting her, she is well, at least, as far as can be expected. I fear there is little outside of either speaking with Harry or allowing time to heal the wounds that will help."

Luna scrunched up her nose. "So, my talking to Ron will do exactly what?"

"In honesty? Possibly nothing." She sighed. "What we want is either for Mister Weasley to let the Order in on what they were supposed to be doing over the upcoming months or, in the better scenario, Mister Potter might see you handling the situation in a way that could inspire him to let us back in."

Luna shook her head. "I don't think that either scenario would work, but I would be willing to try talking to Harry if you'd like."

Minerva's eyes popped open instantly. "Do you think…"

The younger woman shrugged. "I don't know, but I bet if you could get me to the front door that he'd let me in."

"I'm not sure."

Luna stood, ignoring the skepticism in the Headmistress' voice. Calling behind her, she started towards the back of the house. "Just help yourself to anything in the pantry. Give me a few minutes to get cleaned up and then we can go…"

The older witch tried to call out after the girl, to tell her that they couldn't go right then, but as she considered how the whole Light Side of the war seemed to be stuck, Minerva realized that they had nothing to lose by trying.

O X O X O X O X O X O

Mad-Eye Moody and Bill Weasley stood on the other side of the street, as Luna seemed to almost skip up the lane leading to Number Twelve. Her hair was piled on top of her head, her wand used as a tie to hold the heavy waves back from her face. She was wearing a bright, sky blue sundress and brown sandals on her feet. Hanging over her shoulder was a heavy canvas book bag, holding who knew what.

Without even a sideways glance to where the two Order members were watching, Luna turned up the crosswalk and skipped up to the front door. After ringing the doorbell, an odd melody that played so loudly that many in the Order had wanted to find the source of the chimes to blast them out of existence. With nearly everyone holding their breath, the seconds seemed to tick along steadily until finally, slowly the door opened to reveal a very wary looking Tonks.

It was all Bill could do to gesture for Moody to not announce his presence and order the girl to leave the door open.

They talked for a few moments, Tonks constantly looking over her shoulder, most likely to confer with Harry Potter hidden somewhere inside, before finally nodding and allowing Luna Lovegood to enter.

Bill let out a sigh, the first part of this insane plan that had been concocted less than an hour ago, having succeeded. As he turned to leave his post, he noticed that Tonks was still at the door, her gaze aimed directly at him. Looking up at her, he watched as she waved a small little hand gesture before making it a point to deliberately turn her back to him and shut the door firmly.

Tonks' loyalty had just been announced in a way just as loud as if she'd had yelled it from the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts.

O X O X O X O X O X O

"Is there a message?" Harry asked, his demeanor in a much better state than Minerva had led Luna to believe.

Sighing, she moved over to sit down in the chair by the old rug by the closed off hearth.. Settling down into the cushions, she took a moment to look at the old house. It looked almost nothing like what she remembered. To say that it was completely different would be a lie… it still was dark and foreboding. But it wasn't dirty. Everything was polished and clean. The gloomy pictures and portraits were off the wall, leaving bare spot that were lighter than the surrounding area.

It looked lived in. Cared for.

Luna watched as Harry moved to sit in the middle of the couch, putting his feet up on the ancient coffee table that sat in the center of the rug. That, in and of itself, wasn't unusual. It was that Tonks sat next to him, her hand interlinked fingers with Harry's as they both regarded Luna.

"Well?"

Luna chose to ignore the obvious closeness between the two sitting in front of her and leaned back. "Professor McGonagall wants to know what you and Ron and Hermione were doing for Dumbledore. What you were planning on telling the Order before it all fell apart."

Harry had flinched at Hermione's name, but, other than that momentary slip, his expression remained cool. Detached. "I won't tell them. I can't. She and… Ron… they both convinced me to include the Order, but I can't. Won't."

She only nodded.

Tonks' other hand moved to his arm, the fingers rubbing along the bare skin of his forearm. Harry flicked his eyes towards her, a small upturn of his lips, before he returned his gaze to Luna. "Anything else?"

"They want me to tell you what's been learned about what happened."

Harry's brow lowered over his eyes. "What do you mean? I saw them. I know what happened."

Luna pursed her lips. "Ronald and Hermione were drugged. A love potion. Some muggle things added in for flavor. McGonagall wanted you to understand that they didn't mean to betray you."

If anything, it was their reactions that told Luna more than anything they could have spoken aloud. Harry's face ran through a myriad of emotions. He looked positively sick. Tonks, on the other hand, looked scared, almost afraid of what the news might mean… that she might lose something that had become important to her.

It was at that moment that she realized that Tonks and Harry were sleeping together.

"I'm sorry if this isn't what you want to hear, but…"

Harry cit her off, his voice hard. "No. It's okay, Luna." He paused for a moment. "In fact, I had already come up with something like that being a distinct possibility."

Tonks was suddenly very animated. "What? You knew!" She threw Harry's hand out of hers as she stood abruptly, her hair changing from it's soft brown to a hard cherry. "And you didn't say anything?"

Harry was calm. "No. There was no need, Dora." Dora? "It doesn't matter…"

"How can you say it doesn't matter? This could change everything." She was almost crying, her voice reaching a pitch that women often took when extremely emotional.

He stood, his posture non-threatening, as he walked over and brought her tightly into an embrace. "Dora… Dora… there's nothing to worry about. No, I'm not happy about how things played… and I know that you would like a better reassurance for what you feel could be a huge mistake… and while I can't say that I'm happy with how things happened, I can say that I am happy with where I am… we are, right now."

Tonks was crying, tears falling down her cheeks. Luna felt like she was intruding, but there was no where for her to escape to. "I'm sorry if…"

Harry never let her finish the apology. "No, Luna. It's fine. I wasn't sure how to bring this up since I thought of it, and I used you to bring it out into the open. I actually owe you an apology."

"What are you going to d, then?" Tonks sniffed.

"You and I are going to destroy Voldemort and try to live free and happy.

Tonks grinned, her face radiating a light of a woman falling hard and fast. The cherry red slowly bled to a raven black, matching Harry's own hair. "I'm going to hold you to that, you know."

Harry nodded.

"Uhm, not to intrude, but…" Luna sighed. "What do I tell the Order?"

Both of them turned to look at her then. They shared a brief look before two pairs of emerald green eyes focused on her. Luna wanted to squirm, but there was nowhere to go. Finally, Tonks disentangled herself from Harry's arms and approached her. "Whose side are you on, Luna?"

Ron would have given a flippant answer. Hermione would have huffed. Ginny would have rolled her eyes. Luna tilted her head as she glanced at both of them. Finally, she took her wand in her right hand as she slid to her knees in front of both of them, her face earnest.

"I pledge unto you, Harry James Potter, as a witch of the Light, to honor each and all of your orders, to place my magic, my soul and my very life into your hands, to do as you command, unto such day as you release me from your sufferance or unto the day I die. Thus do I swear, upon my honor to be yours in all things as you might require. So mote it be."

Bowing her head, Luna waited as the two of them stood over her, their jaws both wide open. Into the silence, she took a breath, surprisingly strong. "You can trust me, Harry Potter. I freely offer you my Unbreakable Vow, that you know that I am yours to command in the coming far and thereafter."

Her wand glowed brightly, more than any normal Lumos spell she could ever cast, as a faint aura surrounded Luna and then lightly blinked onto Harry's.

Harry cleared his throat, catching Tonks' attention. At the auror's shrug and then silent nod, Harry steppe forward and touched his hand lightly on the back of Luna's head. "Thank you. I accept your Vow and offer mine that I shall never willingly betray the trust you have offered me."

Unashamed of the tears that were falling down her face, Luna looked up into his face, her blue eyes meeting his green ones. "What do you need me to do, Harry?"

Suddenly the room seemed to lose all of the tension that had seemed to permeate the air around them. Harry looked quickly at Tonks before he smiled down at her and helped her off of her knees. "Luna… I have a few ideas…."


	6. A Call

A CALL

Typical English weather filled the entire night with a heavy, wet fog that seemed to cover everything, leaving the various people foolish enough to be out on such an oppressive evening nearly soaked through despite the heavy slickers and raised umbrellas. Lights at the street corners burning like weakened suns on a overcast day, allowing for nothing more than a general direction. It was in such a state that the figure, more than a boy but not yet a man stumbled into the edge of the brick building. His gaze continued to shoot over his shoulder, the fear of approaching footsteps that might be following preventing him from taking any time to rest, but rather to press onward.

He was scared. All pretense to the contrary was lost, as he pulled the torn coat closer to his shivering body… no idea of where to go. No. That wasn't true. He knew where he needed to go; he just couldn't find it in himself to demean himself in such a way as to ask for help.

Reaching into his coat pocket, his dirt stained fingers found purchase on the thin piece of wood that had been his only tool in his escape. Sighing aloud, he quickly turned down another cobbled street and wracked his brain for something… anything that he could do to escape his pursuers.

Light seemed to radiate through the fog from his left. His hard, blue gaze turning sharply, the welcome warmth of an open pub of some type beckoned to him, much like sirens led wayward sailors to their demise. Unable to resist, Draco Malfoy quickly pushed the door open and passed out of the oppressive wetness into the smoke-hazed common room on the establishment.

A quick survey of the occupants in the crowded room helped to alleviate any immediate concern that those looking for him were lying in wait. Without a word to any that he bumped into, the former Prince of Slytherin moved to an empty booth along the far wall, his back to the wall, and waited for a barmaid to take his order.

He waited for a time, much longer than he was used to. In his heyday, a respected pureblood with the name of Malfoy, he would have been served and cared for upon immediately entering, but that was in the wizarding world. This was the muggle world.

"Do you know what you want?" Draco turned his face up to the source of the question. A very healthy woman with brightly colored hair stood next to him, her outfit denoting that she worked here.

Sighing, Draco nodded. "Anything warm. Coffee. Tea. Whatever. Just warm… and lots of it."

Without a word, the woman turned, but not before Draco could see the slight roll of her eyes. Without a chance, she'd already dismissed him as being penniless and therefore not worth the attention to garner a satisfactory tip.

Funny how the tables had turned. Once, Draco would have been oblivious to any plight she might have had, her lineage being less than he had been raised to believe.

Since he probably would be here for a bit, if for nothing else than to give his clothes and body a chance to dry from the horrid London weather, he slowly ran his fingers through his blonde hair, ignoring the unkempt appearance such a gesture would present on him and leaned back in the seat, the exhaustion of the past week slowly catching up with him.

Licking at his lips, he began pulling the various objects he had hidden all around his person out and setting them carefully on the table in front of him… all but the wand. That, he kept carefully in the sleeve of his coat once he'd fished it out from the pocket.

After a moment, a pot of coffee, reeking of being almost too strong and bitter to drink, was placed on the table and a chipped cup was set beside it. Draco's eyes sought out bowls for sugar and cream, but all that he could find were small paper packets claiming to be such. Rolling his eyes and trying not to let his disgust show on his face, his eyes darted about the room to continue his progress of the other people in the pub before he took inventory of all of the worldly possessions he now possessed.

There was a wallet, both holding muggle paper money and falsified identification papers; a small pouch of galleons that was slowly dwindling; a spattering of receipts, most from food establishments that served what could only passingly be considered edible; and then the object of his hope and his dread: a tell pony.

No.

That wasn't it…

A cell phony…. Phone.

Yes.

A cell phone.

His hand barely shaking as he took a first sip of the coffee, his face wincing at the bitterness even with all of the sugar and powdered creamer added, he leaned back and considered the use of such a muggle device. He didn't want to use it… tried to convince himself not to use it, that he had no need. But the Dark Lord was not a forgiving sort and Draco had only barely escaped or eluded the Death Eaters sent after him.

In truth, he didn't know much of how to use the cell phone… only that Snape had given it to him after they had escaped Hogwarts and told him to push two buttons when he decided to make the call.

Not if, but when.

His former Potions and later Defense Against the Dark Arts professor… his godfather… had taken the burden of the task laid upon Draco's shoulders and then provided for a way to escape… or, at least, a way to finally join the right side of the coming war.

Picking up the cell phone, Draco watched as the muggle power harnessed inside suddenly lit up, the bright neon light showing him that there was still life inside. Shaking his head and taking a moment to say a prayer to the higher gods that he wasn't making a mistake, Draco pressed the first button that he'd had shown to him. A slight beep sounded, then nothing. Waiting just a moment longer, he pressed the second button and then lifted the offending piece of plastic to his ear.

It was ringing.

O X O X O X O X O X O

The water was scalding, the skin along his shoulders and back already a heavy pink from the hard pressure of the shower beating upon him, the desire for the soap and water to wash away his sins and free him from the anguish burning inside. It never failed, the overwhelming self-hatred that seemed to slip into him whenever he was alone, the feeling that he was failing in the tasks that had been set upon him from the moment Voldemort had decided to ruin his life.

This was his morning ritual. His alone time. Tonks was still asleep, her warm body curled up in the tangled sheets of the bed that they shared, her smooth skin a tempting lure to prevent his atonement.

She never questioned why he felt the need to leave so early in the morning hours. Harry had initially pondered this after the third time he'd escaped her arms and legs, but he knew that he would never ask, never betray whatever comfort they had found within each other.

Hermione danced through his mind, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. Visions of her smiling, a book in her lap as he tried to draw her attention away from whatever assignment had so occupied her time away from him, even for a brief moment… it was enough that he could almost find it within himself to call her, to see her… but then the harsh memory of seeing her in bed with Ron would rush up, consuming him, and the anger and rage would soon find purchase inside his heart again.

It had been a set up. Someone had put some type of potion or drug or something in her food, forcing her to act completely outside of herself. It wasn't her fault. Tears were lost in the spray of the shower as he lifted his face. Someone had done what Harry had believed impossible… they had taken his Hermione away from him… or, if he was being honest even with himself, had taken him away from Hermione… ruined something that he had come to depend upon.

Sighing, Harry finished rinsing off all traces of soap from his body as he prepared to end the shower… peace yet again denied him. His hands moved to turn the faucets, when a rush of cool air startled his eyes open, the lithe form of Tonks suddenly joining him.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Her voice was hesitant. "You've been in here for a while."

Harry forced a grin as he raised water-wrinkled fingers up to her face. "Sorry, Dora. Just thinking."

She smiled at him, her eyes suddenly a deep violet as her hair seemed to shrink to a very short boyish cut. Tonks moved closer to him, her body suddenly against his, the water adding to the touch. "You know I only let you call me Dora."

He leaned his head down and kissed her, memories of Hermione suddenly forced away as his arms wrapped around her. His teeth found purchase on her lower lip, her mouth opening to him, inviting his tongue. The kiss deepened. Tonks pushed him against the warm tile of the shower, her movements suddenly more frantic as they lost themselves to the desire that had come upon the two of them.

His hand moved lower, his lips smiling into the kiss as he felt her body shiver under his touch. She gasped into the kiss, Harry pulling in her release of air from her longs as she started to grind her hips towards him.

It was lust. Neither had spoken of it since it had begun… a wild, dangerous game that fed from their mutual tears and anger and pain when they'd first seen one another trapped within Harry's home.

There had been a need… a painful drawing towards one another that each needed to sate, to offer to each other, even while they took from the other. Words had been spoken, empty promises into the neck of each other as Harry had lost his virginity and Tonks had taken it. Both had been in love with someone else… might still be in love with that unseen and unspoken other, but for now, the denial of what they shared was enough to keep them going.

Harry had told her of the horocruxes, of Dumbledore's task set upon him… and of Ron and Hermione's betrayal. It had not been his conscious intent to recruit her, but she had immediately forced him to accept her aide… and in truth, her auror training and metamorphmagus abilities could be infinitely useful.

"Ha-Harry… I'm so… so… so… close…"

Tonks' words permeated his brain as he suddenly found himself back in the now, the sensations of their bodies' movements bringing him back to the shower, her body now pressed to the wall, her legs wrapped around his hips. They hadn't tried the shower before… he definitely liked it.

In a rush, he felt his own body begin to spasm as her body shuddered hard, a cry of pleasure escaping both of their lips, the tautness of their muscles both relaxing as she brought her teeth away from his neck and lazily met her lips to his, her eyes now dull.

"Oh… wow…" Harry panted, his body only starting to notice that the water falling from the showerhead was cooling.

"Right in one." Tonks giggled. "I think we need towels."

"Towels." Haryr playfully scowled. "I'm thinking about back to bed."

"So soon?" She laughed as she carefully put both of her legs back down to the shower's floor. "You usually need a few more minutes to… uhm… recuperate."

Harry laughed as he moved to open the shower's door and grabbed two towels from where they were hanging. With a grin, he held one out to Tonks while he began drying himself off. "Can't remember the last time I so enjoyed taking a shower…"

She only shook her head with a smile as she shortened her hair again, able to quickly dry it that was and moved to stand in front of the mirror.

"Harry?" At his look, she continued. "Do you think having Luna spy for us was a good idea?"

It had been a day since Luna had visited. Harry shrugged. "I'm sure that the Order suspects, especially since we haven't made any further contact with the outside world…"

"And when are we?" She blushed prettily. "Not that I'm not enjoying just us, but you know as well as I do that…"

Harry lifted a finger and placed it on her lips, silencing her. "I think we'll try Floo Calling McGonagall tonight."

Where Tonks had been playful and strong before, at Harry's words, her whole attitude became shy and nervous. "And what do we tell them about…"

"About us?" Harry added when it became apparent that Tonks was not going to. "Not sure, truth be told. Do you have a preference?"

"Well…" She finished toweling herself dry and threw the damp material into the hamper. "It would probably be best if…"

Whatever she had been possibly about to say was lost as a knock suddenly sounded on the closed bathroom door, the sound causing both of them to jerk in surprise. "Harry Potter, sir? Harry Potter's Tonks, ma'am?"

Harry rolled his eyes at Tonks as he wrapped the towel around his waist. "Yes, Dobby?"

The door started to open and Tonks quickly jumped behind Harry, a slight "eep" escaping from her as the diminutive elf entered into the small room, his eyes respectfully aimed at the floor.

"Dobby is sorry for bothering Harry Potter and his Tonks, but there was a muggle item chirping downstairs."

Harry quirked his eyebrow as Dobby handed him a small cell phone. Turning his head to look at Tonks, he found the woman shaking her head in obvious puzzlement, her shoulders shrugging.

Harry smiled at Dobby. "Thanks."

The house elf shot him a quick smile as he quickly and quietly slipped back out the door, firmly closing it behind him. Tonks wiggled her eyebrows as she stole the towel from around Harry and wrapped it around herself before darting out the door. Harry was left standing in the buff in the middle of the slowly cooling bathroom holding a cell phone that he never knew about.

The phone wasn't ringing anymore, but it showed one missed call. Sighing, he decided to take the brunt of Tonks' prank and walked proudly to their room, formerly Sirius' room. Tonks was already getting dressed as she smirked at him walking into the room in the nude.

Sighing, Harry lifted the phone. "Should we call back?"

Tonks paused as she pulled a pair of ripped black jeans over her hips and considered for a moment. "Where did the phone come from?"

Harry shook his head. "No idea. But that it was here without anyone knowing about it sort of bothers me."

Tonks worried her lower lip as she buttoned the jeans. "I guess there's nothing to lose for trying."

He nodded as he pushed the button to dial back the last number that had called… the only call that the phone had received. Lifting the phone to his ear, he nervously waited as it rang twice before the other phone picked up.

"He-hello?"

Harry felt his eyes widen, Tonks shooting him a questioning glance. Harry licked his suddenly dry lips as he considered the drawl on the other end.

"Malfoy?"


	7. Two Weeks Later

TWO WEEKS LATER

Sighing aloud, Hermione pulled open the door to her bedroom, making sure to carefully set down the wrapped box onto her desk, the noise coming from downstairs breaking her out of her self-imposed exile. She looked longingly at the box, hoping desperately that there might be a chance to give Harry his birthday present, several days now past.

It had been two weeks since the ruination of her entire life… her existence, since the day that Harry Potter had given her his mother's ring and promised her that their life together then, now and for the future was over. Forever. In that time, no matter how hard she'd tried to isolate herself from the wizarding world, Ginny and Molly Weasley had made sure that she had been kept informed of all that had been going on.

For four days, he'd locked himself away at Sirius' house, away from everyone except the one adult… if anyone could count Tonks as an adult, that he'd trusted to protect him last year. They'd bonded, a sister to a younger brother, much as Hermione considered the strange and outgoing witch as an older sister. Tonks had been there to soothe the pain that she'd wished that she could have helped him through. Silently to herself, Hermione hoped in a small, selfish way that Harry had refused to open up.

But none of that had mattered. After four days, Harry had opened up the manor and spoke with the Headmistress. Reports had been sketchy after that. Harry and Tonks had left the ancestral home to the Black family to destinations unknown, before returning with a third… a cloaked figure that no one had lever learned the identity to. From there, there had been mini-meetings of the Order, only a select few allowed in. At hearing the rumours at the time, Hermione had prayed that the secret of the horocruxes.

Ginny had not said. Apparently, the Weasley family as a whole had been purposefully left out of those meetings, a consequence that no one could immediately blame but had caused Molly to break down in tears all the same. So, it was second and third hand information that finally reached Hermione's ears. And none of that even touched on all of what had been discovered by the cookies.

Within a week, they had rule out any idea of an outside agent having entered the Burrow, bypassing all of the wards and guards placed about the cramped magical home; and while that had been a comfort… it not being a successful Deatheater plot, the resulting conclusion had been even more frightening.

Someone already at the Burrow had left the cookies.

But that only brought up more questions. First, to Hermione, was why? Why a lust spell? It had been Charlie Weasley who'd then touched on the next significant worry: Whom were the cookies intended for? Who was the actual target? Harry had been due to arrive that day, so was he the intended victim? Or had they been placed after everyone had determined that Harry was not arriving that day?

It was just so frustrating.

Pausing at the top of the staircase, Hermione Granger leaned against the wall as she roughly ran her fingers through her hair, the curls in a wild frizz since she had been too depressed to deal with it much lately.

"…got to know!" It sounded almost like… Goddess above, no! That's Ron's voice. "This might be the only chance!"

Her father's voice followed roughly. "That may be, but not from you. She doesn't want to see you… after everything that's happened, I'm not letting you…"

"Please, Ron." Her mother's soft voice now. "We can't… she's still doing very well… there's just no way…"

Hermione squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Standing tall with her chin up, she smoothed her hair as best she could and walked down the stairs, the escalating rise of the people downstairs seeming to hit her like a wave. For a moment, her presence was missed as she took in the chaos of her living room.

Her parents stood to one side, their very posture of providing a shield to the rest of the room. Facing off against them were Ron, Remus Lupin and Arthur Weasley. The two men with flaming red hair seemed resolute in their desire to get to Hermione, while her former professor stood with his arms folded across his chest, his gaze swiveling back and forth. He looked more a spectator at a tennis match.

"I'm telling you that she needs to know that Harry is…" Ron was near to yelling.

"Harry?"

She hadn't even realized that she'd spoken aloud, her hand at her chest, when the five other occupants of the room all stopped what they were saying and turned to look at her. For a moment, no one said anything, before the babble started trying to move towards her.

Her mother was the first to reach her, to pull her tightly in an embrace. Hermione allowed her Mum to hug her as she glanced over the woman's shoulder, her gaze riveted towards one of her best friends. Ron was trying to get to her, but a firm grip on either shoulder by both Mister Lupin and his father prevented him from drawing closer. Her own father was standing in-between, ready to act as another obstacle if it became necessary.

"Wh-what about Harry?" Hermione chided herself for how small and weak her voice sounded, even to her own ears.

Her mother said nothing, humming a soft tune that reminded Hermione of when she was a child, scared of the dark. Roger Granger had his faced scrunched up in displeasure, his eyes darting over to the other men in the room, his eyes hard.

Ron had quit struggling against the two older men, but his face was animated. "Hermy… Hermione… Harry's been hurt… he and…"

"Hurt!" She pulled roughly away from her mother and moved to stand nearer to Ron, all thoughts of anything else leaving her in a rush at the mention of Harry being injured. "What happened? Where is he? Can we go see him?"

The youngest Weasley male opened his mouth to answer, but Remus took the moment to pull at Ron's shoulder, effectively pulling him behind as the graying wizard took Hermione's attention.

"Harry's fine. Exhaustion, mostly." His eyes seemed almost to glow amber. "His… well… the people with him took him to Hogwarts. Poppy forced a few potions down his throat and he's sleeping." Grimacing, he jerked a thumb at the young man behind him. "Ron, here, was listening in on a private conversation between McGonagall and Arthur reporting his condition."

Her mother wrapped her arms from behind, offering silent support as her father sighed and started pacing in the room. Hermione considered everything that was being said, as well as what was not.

"What was he doing?"

"You know what he's doing, Hermione." Ron's voice was pleading. "They found R.A.B. That one was at Grimmald Place!"

Hermione's eyebrows shot to her hairline at the bold words that Ron had spoken in front of the others. As far as she knew, no one else knew anything about what Harry planned. "R.A.B. Who was it?"

At her question, Remus looked questioningly between the two teenagers. "R.A.B? Initials? The only one I ever knew with those initials was Sirius' brother…"

Ron was nodding violently. "Yep. Maybe that was why Harry was locked in there."

Hermione felt air return to her lungs, her heart lighter for some reason. Harry had figured it out. And maybe he hadn't been hiding from her, but maybe he had been trying to destroy the horocrux!

Tears fell down her cheeks as she smiled suddenly. She wouldn't have known it, but the entire room had seemed to somehow brighten as the despair that had been consuming her as of late seemed to abate, even for only a second.

It was with that small ray of happiness that caused her father to stop his nervous pacing and take in his daughter and then Ron. Finally, he spoke. "Baby, do you want to see Harry?"

It wasn't even a question. Hermione immediately jumped into her father's arms, the others in the room stepping back in surprise. Tears falling of another purpose, she hugged tightly to her father as she nodded.

Sighing in resignation, her father silently agreed, though he wasn't about to have his leverage over his daughter go to waste. "Okay… if Remus will agree…" At the unspoken question, the indicated man nodded. "And after you've cleaned yourself up and had something proper to eat…"

Hermione pulled back, a retort on her face, but her father kept talking over her. "You've lost weight, dear…" Her mother nodded over to her left. "And you look a fright."

"You're going to want to do something with your hair, at the least…"

Hermione giggled, something that definitely shocked both of her parents, as the girl moved over to give a quick kiss to her mother's cheek before running up the stairs without another word to anyone.

Once she was gone, Roger turned to the rest of the room. "Is this going to go well?"

Arthur and Ron looked nervously at one another. Remus sighed. "That will depend on what you're hoping for."

"I want my baby happy."

"Then my guess would be no." The werewolf shrugged. "Harry isn't going to just open his arms and welcome her back. One, because he's still upset… otherwise he might've asked for Ron, here, some time ago… and two, I think things have… changed."

"Changed?" Dianne Granger asked, her hand slipping into her husband's in search of obvious support. Quietly, she recognized the sound of the shower upstairs turning on.

Ron looked incredulously at the two men talking. "What do you mean changed, Professor? We've got Harry somewhere where he's got to talk to her."

Arthur Weasley patted his son's shoulder. "Harry's been traveling for the past two weeks with other people in whatever fool mission Albus, Merlin preserve his soul, wanted the three of you to accomplish."

"But…"

Arthur shook his head. "No, Ron. I have no idea what its about, but Minerva has reported to the Order, minus you and your sister and Hermione, that Harry's… uhm…" He looked over at Remus.

The former professor quirked his lip, though definitely not as a smile. "Companions?"

He nodded in thanks. Yes. Companions. Ron, his companions reported that in the two weeks, two of the things that Harry had been looking for were destroyed."

Ron's face went white. "Two? Already?" He moved over and sat in a chair across from where the Granger's were standing, watching. "That means four are gone… Two left… one we know… then the last before…"

"Son?" Arthur was definitely worried over what Ron was mumbling about.

The shower overhead turned off, easily heard in the sudden silence of the living room. The Weasley patriarch moved to sit next to his son as Remus shrugged his shoulders at the two muggles that were watching.

"Ron… I've respected your confidences, especially after everything you've been through lately… Harry and Hermione… Luna… but this sounds like something the Order has to know about. This sounds important."

The younger red head looked at his father. "And you think it just now important?"

"No. That's not what I meant…"

"No?" Ron's voice started to elevate. "The Order was just going to pat us all on the head and let us run around like kids, never thinking what Professor Dumbledore asked us to do was important in defeating Vo..Volde…" His hands clinched into fists. "Defeating V-Voldemort."

"That's not it at all, Ron…" Remus tried to interject, but Roger cut him off.

"Just what is it that Harry's doing now?" Hermione's father's voice was hard.

The young man looked up at him. "I won't say… can't. I'm not ever betraying Harry again…"

Roger dropped his wife's hand and started to step closer when Hermione's voice called out from the stairwell. "Dad. No."

The room turned to find Hermione standing there, her hair still wet, dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and a Gryffindor Lions tee shirt that most likely had been Harry's at one time or another. Her feet where in white trainers and her hands still held a damp towel that she was wrapping her hair in.

"Baby…"

"Darling…" Her mother looked up.

Hermione shook her head. "Don't ask Ron to do this… not this. We need to get moving to see Harry…"

Her father seemed to shake himself out of whatever place he'd been in and nodded once. "After you eat something…" At his daughter's pleading look, he pointed at the kitchen. "A sandwich. I don't care. Something."

After she and her mother had left for the kitchen, Dianne fussing over Hermione not taking the time to properly dry her hair, the men all looked at one another, the tension thick and heavy.

"This is so not a good idea." Roger finally stated into the quiet.

"No. It's probably not." Remus agreed. "But there's no stopping her. I know that almost as well as you do, Roger."

Ron sighed as he leaned back into the seat's cushions, tension and nervousness seeming to almost vibrate off of him. Everyone ignored the bickering going on between mother and daughter in the next room.

"Why isn't this a good idea?"

Arthur laughed at his son's question. "Sure. Now you listen." Shaking his head, he moved to get off of the couch. "You two are both so set on talking to Harry, neither of you have considered that he doesn't want to talk to you, hasn't had time to work through his own grief."

"B-but we've always found a way past any fights, Dad."

Roger felt sympathy for the older red-haired man. Licking his upper lip, he lifted his head to stare at the ceiling. "You're wanting Harry to forgive you, right?"

He looked down to find the boy nodding at him. He smiled and hoped it didn't look too forced. "What if he's not ready?"

Ron looked lost. Roger considered trying to help out more, the looks on the other two men's faces looking desperate, but the chance went away as the kitchen door swung open with Hermione carrying a half eaten sandwich and a bottle of soda. Her mother chasing after her.

Hermione's face was set. "Let's go."

Remus and Arthur both nodded, albeit without much enthusiasm, as they all stepped closer to one another, Hermione taking only enough time to hug each of her parent's one more time before joining the men.

No one in the room failed to notice how she stood as far away from Ron as was possible. "Wish me luck." She called before they all touched a piece of rope Arthur pulled from his jacket pocket.

Ina sudden twist of reality, Dianne and Roger were left alone in their house. Sighing, Dianne turned to look at her husband. "Well?"

Shrugging, he moved toward the open kitchen doorway. "I guess we get ready for her to come back even more heartbroken than last time.

She wanted to argue, but the words dried away leaving only sour taste in her mouth.


	8. Sterling, Not Golden

STERLING, NOT GOLDEN

I'm seventeen, Harry thought mentally, shifting to find a better and more comfortable position on the Infirmary bed. In truth, he'd been seventeen for nearly a week. July had come and gone, the lay of the world completely opposite in comparison of how the month had begun to how it had ended.

He was no longer speaking to Ron, his best mate. The gulf of the anger that had come between them in the two weeks since... since… well, since he'd made his discovery had torn their friendship apart. Even with the knowledge that he hadn't been completely in control of his actions, Harry couldn't shake the anger that bubbled inside. And that moved him directly to Hermione.

Hermione had slept with Ron. Again, she hadn't been in control of herself, but the pain of what had happened was still too raw for Harry to consider anything other than his feelings of betrayal. That meant that instead of being promised as he intended by his birthday, they were no longer together. They were over.

Wishing he could escape Madam Pomfrey's watchful and near tyrannical care, he settled further into the pillow behind his head and considered all that had happened.

Slytherin's locket had been stolen and left at Grimmald Place… a coincidence that staggered the imagination, but one he and Tonks would never had guessed at but for the information that had come from the most unlikely of allies: Draco Malfoy.

Draco had called on a cell phone to one left for Harry, apparently hidden at the Black home by none other than Severus Snape, the former professor of Hogwarts and the wanted murderer of Albus Dumbledore. The platinum-haired git had not had many answers, mostly only bringing more questions, but he did have the location of two of the horocruxes Harry had been seeking.

It had taken nearly no time at all to find the locket in his very own home and then to sneak out on a quick jaunt to Diagon Alley, or more specifically to Knockturn Alley, and then a highly illegal breaking and entering of Borgin and Burkes to find the Hugglepuff Cup.

Harry, Malfoy and Tonks had then studied the two fragments of Voldemort's soul, the immediate danger of such dark and evil influence so nearby, that they'd resorted to dark magics themselves to finally lend to the eventual discovery of a spell that had destroyed the two horocruxes.

He chucked without any mirth at the simple thought, though the actual horror of the spell was something that had lent to many nightmares since. The spell had been cast, a mere four days ago… the resulting backwash of energies nearly ripping Grimmald Place in half… the wards created by Dobby the only thing that helped contain the magical atomic bomb that they'd set off.

The dungeons and underground levels of his home were in ruins, the very foundation of the house now shifted in such a way that Tonks had worried that the house would fall within a year, two at the very outside most. Draco had agreed, though thought months rather than years was the closer and safer estimation. But that was just a house, a place to live. The really scary part was what nearly occurred to the three of them.

Harry had tried to throw up a shielding spell over them, to keep them safe, but the result of the two objects breaking at once (a really stupid idea, by the way) had been just too much. Hell, just one might have been. In any case, all Harry had done was give a momentary pause to the coming storm giving the others a chance to do something.

He'd had expected Tonks to throw herself into the danger, their new and precarious relationship enough that she'd acted in a way that Harry thought foolish, but he hadn't been able to stop her. No. Tonks had grabbed Harry by the back of his shirt and had thrown him to the floor, her own body pressed over him in the hopes of protecting him with her body.

It was a move that was both heroic and ultimately futile.

Harry closed his eyes as the wave of guilt ran through him at what it would have done to him to lose her, a burden he wasn't sure he would have been able to live with, yet one he didn't have to consider. Instead, Draco Malfoy have proven his worth and loyalty, much as Ron had during the chess game in search of the Philosopher's Stone, and had called for Dobby.

That the house elf had answered his former master was in of itself a miracle, but he had. In any other instance, the magical explosion would have destroyed all four of them, but the circumstances ha luckily been stacked in just the right order. Dobby was Harry's elf, freely chosen by the diminutive hero, as well as the bonded elf of the Black Manor. In saving the House and Harry's life, the elf had been taxed near to his limits but had been able to overcome.

So, Grimmald Place still stood, though severely weakened. All wards, charms and protections ripped away in that moment… the Floo connection torn away. Dobby had fallen unconscious. Harry and Tonks had suffered severe magical exhaustion, his own much worse at having tried to withstand the waves of dark energies.

In fact, the only one that could still walk had been Draco, who had taken on the role of their immediate protector and nursemaid, doing tasks that Harry had always thought the Slytherin would consider beneath him, nursing them back to health.

Two days afterwards, Tonks had awoken and immediately began aiding Draco in helping to restore him. When that had failed, Tonks had decided to risk Hogwarts, which ended with how things currently stood, Harry laid up in his usual bed at the Infirmary under the school nurse's care, while Draco stood watch at the doorway. Tonks refused to leave his side.

He must have yawned, because a soft laugh caused him to flutter his eyes open, the blurry image of Tonks resting in a chair, obviously transfigured to be more comfortable, her feet up on his bed, came immediately into sight. He didn't have even a chance to ask anything before she stood and set his glasses in his hand, her soft lips pressing a kiss upon his forehead.

"Awake again, sleepyhead?"

Unable to stop it, he smiled, the warm feeling of her watching over him filling the emptiness that was usually there in the mornings. "I guess so… though a nap sounds like a nice idea." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Want to join me?"

"A laugh from the other side of the room interrupted anything Tonks might have responded with. "If you're well enough for that, I think you're well enough for us to consider getting out of here."

Harry ignored the slight blush on Tonks' cheeks as he sighed loudly. "You're just jealous…"

"Dan right." Draco drew closer, his image finally coming into view from around the privacy curtains that had been put up. "Any guy that can get a girl that can look like anybody…" he smiled at the teasing joke he'd thrown at them once he'd learned they were sleeping together. "Always wanted to have a go at a few classmates."

Tonks visibly shuddered. "Even if we weren't related by blood, Draco… eewww."

Draco smiled, something Harry never thought he'd be a part of. "Too true… and besides, I don't think I'd like to take anything that had been Potter's. Not unless I took it from him."

Harry rolled his eyes at the look Tonks gave him. Sitting up, grimacing at his need for her to help him. "So… to completely change the subject…" He smiled at the grateful look in her eyes. "Has McGonagall said anything more?"

The young man standing at the foot of his bed crossed his arms over his chest. "You mean after she stormed out of here in a huff because you and Tonks told her to leave me alone and not call the aurors? Not really. No. Haven't seen her."

"We really need to get out of here." Tonks sighed. "And while I believe that she won't call the aurors, she will have spoken to the Order."

Harry nodded as he turned and pulled the blanket off of him. Reaching for his clothes that were left for him next to the bed, he ignored the grin on his lover's face at his state of undress but for underclothes and started pulling his shirt on over his head.

Draco sighed, his gaze turning to look at the doorway. "Where are we going to go?"

He stood and stepped into the jeans Tonks had brought and brought the zipper up. "Not sure, really. What are our options?"

The other boy shrugged as the woman's hair changed to a dirty blonde and her skin tanned… an American tourist… Californian, maybe… and switched her gaze between the two young men. "Well, the paperwork finally arrived that I've been suspended as an auror…" She shot Harry an apologetic look. "Skipping work for two weeks does that."

Harry nodded as she continued. "Grimmald Place is out… Malfoy Manor is so not an option…"

"How about Godric Hollow, Potter?"

He looked over at Malfoy. "What? Why there?"

The blonde-haired boy pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. "I am so ashamed that you ever beat me at anything… you never think. We could camp there… you have plenty of galleons and I have a few…"

"I have some, as well." Tonks offered.

Draco nodded. "See? We can rough it while you finish getting up to snuff and all the while we can plan the next move, maybe find that last one of the…" he paused, looking around. "Well… you know."

Harry nodded and started to agree, when a commotion towards the front door of the Infirmary brought all three of their heads around in surprise and worry. Draco cursed under his breath as he quickly moved over to somewhere behind Harry and grabbed his cloak, pulling the hood up high. Tonks shifted fully into a very matronly look… gray hair and everything… and moved away from the immediate vicinity of his bed. Sighing, Harry sat on the edge of the bed and started pulling o his socks and trainers.

Madam Pomfrey rushed out of her office at the sudden noise disrupting her domain. He waved cheekily at her crossed look at his getting dressed, but rather than scold him for disobeying her orders, moved instead towards the source of the noise.

Ignoring a wave of fatigue, angry at how week he was truly feeling, he cocked his head to the side as he listened to the cacophony still approaching. Though he couldn't make out any distinct voices just yet, the falling feeling in the pit of his stomach warned him that he knew anyway who at least one, most likely two were going to be.

Deciding to keep his gaze at the task at hand… tying his shoes, he took a steadying breath as Pomfrey had obviously failed to cower anyone from entering and the sounds of footsteps neared. There was a hard intake of breath, the footfalls all coming to a standstill, forcing him to finally look up… he hoped the schooled face he had erected withstood the coming confrontation.

Eight people waited there, all of their faces running through the spectrum of possible emotions. Remus looked worried, his eyes haunted. The headmistress looked angry, her eyes only resting on Harry for a moment before moving about the room to find his two constant visitors. Arthur and Molly Weasley both seemed to match, their faces stern in disappointment. Ron was there… Harry had to push down the negative feelings that wanted to break loose. His face looked hopeful, albeit scared.

Net to them was a very irate Pomfrey, her clipped tone admonishing them all for barging into the Infirmary, as well as a few unkind comments towards Harry for being dressed and looking ready to leave. Ginny was there, though her face was carefully masked. He only wanted to nod at that. She was being held back by her brother, Bill, who looked both pissed off and concerned all at the same time.

But it was the figure in front of them all, the one he dreaded the most and had wanted the least that held his gaze the longest. Hermione was crying, her skin pale. She even looked thin, like she wasn't eating. Harry hated the fact that the idea of her wasting away tugged at his heart, even after everything.

"Harry?" Her voice was brittle, rough, almost as if she had grown accustomed to not talking very much. There was a whisper in her words, a carry over of… something… Harry tried to place it, but lacked the time to worry it out.

Standing, Harry reached to the table next to the bed and started picking up his personal items and placing them in their carefully arranged spots. The wallet went in the back left pocket, while the locket that had been a fool's quest on his and Dumbledore's last mission went over his head, carefully placing it under his shirt. Coins and other knickknacks went in his front jeans' pockets… leaving only his wand that he carefully set in the wrist holster that Tonks had given him for his birthday.

He'd still not responded, but that seemed not to matter, as his ex-girlfriend drew closer, hesitantly. "Harry? Are you sure you should…?"

"Should what?" He was proud that his voice was strong. "Leave?" He nodded. "I have things to do… I can't just sit here."

"Hey…" Harry knew that his eyes had grown cold at Ron's attempt to bridge the gap between them. He had to take yet another deep breath before he could face him. "No, Ron. Not now. Not yet. Maybe later… I don't know…"

"We just want to help, Harry…" Molly's voice was full of anguish.

Harry looked past Hermione, the guilt of hurting the only woman to ever be a mother to him almost causing him to give in. Almost. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I am. Trust me that I know about all that's going on, but the plan for me has always been to… well, take care of a few things this summer."

"Isn't there any way that we can help, Harry?" Arthur hugged his wife. "Perhaps the Order…"

He was already shaking his head. "No. I'm sorry, but no."

"And you think you can do this on your own?" Professor McGonagall spoke then, bringing up the arguments she had proverbially slapped them with upon first arriving. "Poppy says you were near to burning out your magic when you first arrived… as it is, its still a miracle that you're up and better, though we all know you're not as well as you'd like the rest of us to believe."

"You can't do this alone, Harry…" Hermione's voice was pleading, her eyes begging. "I have to… we need to help you."

Harry finished putting his belt on around his pants as he straightened his shirt, a white tee shirt with a yellow smiley face in the middle, another gift from Tonks. "Is that what you want to talk about? What I have to do?"

She flinched. Hermione was suddenly unsure about anything to do with Harry. "I-I… well, uhm… I need you safe… you need to be safe." Tears started erupting from her eyes even harder. "B-but if you…"

He waved his hand dismissively as he shook his head. "No. You're right." She jumped to the wrong conclusion as relief flooded her face and she took another step closer, but he stepped back, keeping the distance between them.

"Harry?"

"Hermione," Harry looked over to see Tonks, still looking like someone's grandmother, carefully trying to not watch the conversation but failing. The hooded Draco was nowhere to be seen… hopefully a strong obfuscation charm at work. He looked back into Hermione's brown eyes. "I have help doing what I need. You and Ron don't have to worry about skipping seventh year."

"What!" Chorused out from all of the adults in the room, the majority of the glares aimed at Ron, though Ginny was staring at him and the Headmistress at everyone.

"Mum, look…" Ron had his hands out in front of him in a weak attempt of fending off her approach. "We had to help 'em…"

"Not finish school!" The Mother Weasley's face was flushed. "That you'd consider something so stupid… on your own… education is too important… and when… when were your father and I going to be told?"

"A note after we'd left." His answer was almost too quiet to be heard.

Molly looked ready to start again, but Arthur pulled her back, the words "later" and "we'll take care of it" mixing in with her curses.

"And you Miss Granger?" The transfiguration professor asked from the back of the assorted group.

Hermione's gaze never left Harry's. "I was going wherever Harry was. "I still would, if he'd let me."

There was a question to Harry in her answer, her eyes pleading. He so wanted to give in… to redo the past two weeks, but that wasn't possible. Even with a perfect time turner, things would have played differently. He would have been at the Burrow… completely missing the cell phone call from Draco. They wouldn't have destroyed the two horocruxes… and he wouldn't be with Tonks.

Tonks versus Hermione. What was the comparison between the two?

The various similarities and differences ran through his mind. Hermione represented the idea of the school romance and ideal normalcy of a best friend turning lover finally turning into his wife. She had been his rock, his conscious and his confidant… his best friend. She had been everything he'd ever wanted… then.

Tonks was the now. She was older, though her attitude and outlook made her sometimes seem younger. She was fun and made no demands, allowing for whatever was to happen to happen. There was no planning… nothing long-term. Why worry about the future when death was chasing after you?

Harry sighed as he looked over at where Tonks was standing. Idly, he noted that McGonagall had already deduced who the old woman was… and Remus… his eyes had gone completely amber, wolf coloured… something Harry had learned meant the older wizard was using some of the benefits of being furry once a month. Tonks had told him one night that he was never fooled by her shape changing, while the look could be completely different, her smell always stayed the same.

He met Remuis gaze for a moment before pulling forcefully away. "Tonks?" He called out to her. "We need to go."

The older woman jerked in surprise as Harry called her name, revealing her disguise. She gave him an admonishing look as her features melted down to her "usual" appearance, her skin pale and her hair spiked up and bubblegum pink.

Most of the room seemed to start at realizing the former auror and Order member (was she still?) was there. Harry smiled sadly at Hermione, ignoring her questioning glance as he walked past her and reached out for Tonks' hand. He saw the look of surprise and then the rush of red in her cheeks for a brief second before her hand met his halfway. Once their fingers were intertwined, he started pulling her towards the door, ignoring all of the sudden talking and shocked looks on everyone's faces.

Calling over his shoulder, he barely glanced at the rest of the room. "Are you coming? We're leaving… it was your idea, after all."

No one was quite sure whom he was talking to, Hermione almost taking a step to go after him, the idea that he was calling her almost too much to hope for, even after seeing the looks shared between Harry and Tonks… a look that broke her heart in away that she had thought no longer possible, when a cloaked figure suddenly pulled away from the shadows and moved silently after them.

Everyone stood still, shocked again, until finally even the sounds of their footsteps began to fade. Hermione woke up from her stupor, her thoughts shooting in a billion different directions at once, as she started to give chase, but Remus caught her around her waist.

"No… let me go! Harry! HARRY!" She screamed, her voice echoing off the stonewalls.

Remus wasn't sure what to feel, the coldness of a loss he never expected in his heart at watching Harry take Tonks' hand and then leaving. Hermione fought him, her nails digging into his arms as he held her tight, until she slumped down, her body limp.

He quickly picked her up and carried her to the bed Harry had just vacated. Immediately, she turned her head and pulled the pillow close, inhaling deeply. "It smells like him…"

She seemed to break down almost immediately after that statement. Remus sat on the edge of the bed while Poppy jumped into action and moved to grab a calming draught for the poor girl. Ron was silently and quietly arguing with his parents, the announcement that the Golden Trio had planned to skip their seventh year still raw in his parents' ears.

His gaze met Bill's, the eldest Weasley son hugging his sister. Silently, no words spoken, the two seemed to be asking each other the same thing…

_What the hell is going on?_


	9. A Possibility

A/N: First, let me say thank you to everyone that has reviewed, sent me emails and everything else. The response on this little ficlet has been great.

Second… to those not exactly thrilled with where this is going… well… I can only say that I hope you stick it out. A lot of what you think might happen is not going to occur, while some will. I also hope to have a few twists thrown in for fun as well.

Last, I've already gotten a few unhappy people that I'm skipping over the hunt for horocruxes and the horror of the war. And to that I can only say that I've read a LOT of really good horocrux hunt fics out there and I didn't really have any new ideas on the matter. Instead, I'm focusing on the people… I hope that you'll agree. Besides, isn't it fun to make up your own parts for that? Good. Glad we agree.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me and hopefully there will be some more massive updates coming soon.

Later…

O X O X O X O X O X O

A POSSIBILITY

"What!" Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice was barely above a whisper. "Malfoy? Draco Malfoy was here? At Hogwarts? And you just let him stroll right on out the door?"

Minerva watched as the intimidating auror turned away in disgust to stare at the closed door of her office and ran a hand across his smoothly shaven head, his wide shoulders tensed tightly at the thought of a conspirator in Albus' murder having escaped judgment. She waited patiently, taking his non-observance as her chance to take a calming breath and to straighten her hands from the fists they had become at his questions.

"How could you do that?" He asked, still not looking at her. "He took down our greatest chance of defeating him." No reason to ask which _him_ he was referring to. "The Order is falling apart… the attacks, though there haven't been any as of late, are soon to rise… and we've got nothing. Nothing!"

She met his gaze when he finally turned around, the gold hoop in his left ear catching the torchlight situated strategically about the room, the precious metal winking at her. The newly inducted headmistress of Hogwarts and the interim leader of the Order of the Phoenix sat quietly, allowing him the chance to compose himself.

It had not been an easy decision to bring him into her confidence, Shacklebolt, but he'd been a staunch ally to Albus for many years, even during those early dark days after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had first returned three years ago. Just as Albus had taken a chance to bring her in as a second, Minerva hoped that Kingsley could become hers.

She narrowed her gaze as she watched his knuckles tighten on the back of the chair across her desk from where she was sitting, the skin paling. "There was so much that we could have gotten from him… a child Deatheater… so much…"

"We still can." She slipped her words in as he took a breath. "Harry Potter is speaking to us again, and while he's not brought us in fully on whatever it is he's doing, we can at least take hope in that we're not still shut out."

"Another boy…" Kingsley literally growled. "You're pinning your life… all of out lives, all on the idea that he knows what he's doing."

"Dumbledore believed in him." She retorted, pleased at how in control her voice hadn't wavered.

"Yes… he did." The large black man's tone was less accusing. "And I understand that Harry is important, but I do not get why Dumbledore would send this boy on some hunt and find mission, not when we have fully trained wizards and witches with years of experience under their belts."

She smiled sadly as he continued to rant. "I had been against his inclusion in the Order… him and all of his friends. They're too young… and after the events at the Burrow, I think my fears were proven true."

"And I tell you again that you have never been more wrong. The… well… with what happened at the Burrow, the Order suffered a harder blow than even Albus' passing." At the look the man standing across from her was giving, she sighed. "Kingsley, Harry is our hope. He is the one to defeat Voldemort. Not Albus. Not you. Not me. Harry Potter."

"I just don't…"

"It was in the prophecy. It is his destiny."

Shacklebolt closed his eyes as he fell into the chair. After shaking his head, the idea of a seventeen-year-old boy having to carry the weight of such was too much he leaned forward. "Does he know?"

Minerva nodded. "Oh, yes. He knows, as do many of his friends… those same friends, children you called them, that we inducted into the Order."

"I never knew." He sounded apologetic. Minerva shrugged.

"I had hoped that having Harry reveal what he was planning, we could integrate his ideas into what we needed to be doing. All was fine until someone created this whole… fiasco. Now, we have Harry depending on an auror that the Ministry fired for dereliction of duty and an accomplice to a murder, a newly initiated Deatheater."

"How did it go so wrong?"

She laughed, a hard and almost scary sound in the quiet of the office. "Cookies. Spelled treats."

His dark eyes bore into her. "What do we know about this? Was it a plot on his part?"

"No." She shook her head, the bun holding her gray hair not moving at all. "This was an… inside job. Miss Weasley has been looking into it for us, her offer allowed for me to keep the rest of the Order and the few aurors that you could get for us onto other tasks. So far, she's amassed an amazing amount of information… though none of it adds up."

He frowned. "Like what?"

She shrugged again as she leaned back in her own chair, her gaze turned to the empty perch where Fawkes used to sit. The phoenix had not been seen since Albus' death.

"No one snuck into the Burrow. Molly confirmed that there were no cookies or milk at noontime when she went up to prepare a room for Harry. That was double-checked using a pensive. The last people to enter or leave the Burrow in the time frame of when the cookies could have been put there before Miss Granger and Mister Weasley went in after dinner were all trusted completely."

"That doesn't make sense."

"I know." She snapped. Closing her eyes, Minerva silently counted to ten. "Miss Weasley can be accounted for where she was at all times, never once going near the room, as can Ronald Weasley."

Kingsley looked sick. "Who does that leave?"

She took a breath. "Well, in the pensive memories we've been able to study… everyone has cooperated except for Miss Granger, and she's above suspect at the moment… that leaves Charlie and Bill, his fiancé, Fleur, the Weasley twins… Miss Lovegood was there. All of these people could have done it but we can find no motive."

"None?"

The transfiguration professor pursed her lips. "The only one with any real motive according to Remus was Ginny Weasley, and from what we can tell, there's no way she did it."

"Ginny?" He asked.

"Yes. It seems young Miss Weasley is quite taken with Mister Potter and had her sights on getting for herself."

Kingsley laughed aloud. "Merlin and Circe together!" He wiped at his eyes. "We're at war… the fate of everything literally hangs in the balance, and we've got teenage hormones to deal with."

Minerva cracked a quick smile. "It would seem so."

"Not that it matters… there's no telling where Harry Potter intends to go now. Maybe back into that house. We'll never get anywhere with him."

She leaned over and picked up a small vial, the contents the remains of a pulled memory saved to be viewed in a pensive. "I've got a few ideas up my sleeve… we might get Harry to come back out sooner than you might think."

O X O X O X O X O X O

The redheaded boy sat in the living room, his eyes haunted. Normally, no matter how many times he'd visited, he'd be staring off towards some item or another, his father's fascination with all things muggle having somehow trickled down into him.

He could still remember the time he, Luna and Harry had all visited last summer… the idea of a double-date to see a moobie… no. Movie. To see a movie. They'd had so much fun, sitting in the darkened auditorium, some giant moving pictures like a long photograph with sound playing before them. It had been… well, magical. They'd seen a show and then gone for dinner.

All that seemed gone now.

Absently running a hand through his hair, the wayward thought that he needed to ask his Mum for a trim slid by, as he took in the girl across from him. Where he was sitting on the couch he so loved, she was curled up in her father's chair. Her clothes were mismatched, something that Harry would have immediately teased her about, but was now a subject her dared not mention aloud.

Hermione was crying softly, nothing new according to everyone he'd talked to. Her shirt was a pale blue button down, some design printed along the sleeves and hem. A nice shirt, but one that looked way off compared to the stark lavender of her shorts. He noticed that all of the rumours were right… something he'd ignored when he'd brought news of Harry's whereabouts earlier. She looked like she was slowly dying, wasting away.

Pulling his gaze away from her, Ron looked over at her mother… her father having decided that he had to go in to work. Hermione's mum looked almost as bad as her daughter, though to a much lesser degree. Her face was stained with tears as well, though even in looking bad, Dianne Granger looked healthy.

Things had been tense ever since returning from Hogwarts… no one quite sure what to do after watching Harry and Tonks leaving together, trailed by a figure that they didn't know until after they'd all left. Professor McGonagall had informed everyone that it had been Draco Malfoy. That had been the straw to break Hermione… that Harry had turned to a hated enemy to aid in Dumbledore's quest instead of facing what had occurred at the Burrow two weeks ago. She'd broken.

So, now Ron and Ginny were here, along with Hermione's mother to make sure that she didn't do anything drastic. His father had pulled Ron to the side, anger at having to hear in an argument that there had been talk o not going to Hogwarts this year still fresh on his face, using words like "suicide" and "hurting herself." It had been too much for Ron alone, so he'd enlisted Ginny the first chance he got.

Together, the three of them had accompanied Professor Lupin back to the Granger's house before excusing himself, apologies to Dianne but citing a promise to Roger to tell him immediately upon return on what had transpired.

The kitchen door opened and Ginny walked out carrying three bottles of soda and a bowl of popcorn. In truth, she didn't look much better… the implication that Harry was with Tonks breaking her heart a little bit, too. Ron knew had hard his sister had fallen for his best mate, but Harry had only had eyes for Hermione… well… until recently, apparently.

Reaching for a bottle once Ginny had sat down after already handing one to Mrs. Granger and setting the other in front of Hermione, Ron twisted the top and took a quick swig. He loved muggle drinks.

"Ron?" He brought the bottle down quick, his eyes moving over to Hermione. He raised his eyebrows up in silent response.

Hermione pushed a stray lock of her frizzy brown hair from her face. "What do you think?"

He glanced over to Ginny who was no help, then to Dianne. Desperately, he wished that there has been time to get an idea of the older woman's thoughts on how to deal with Hermione. He had apparently taking too long.

"The truth, Ron." She pressed. "You were there… tell me I'm being silly… something."

He hung his head. It was apparently answer enough as Hermione started crying earnestly again. Looking at the other two women, he saw that they seemed as lost and confused as he was.

If Ron had learned mind reading, he'd be shocked at the desperation running through his friend's head. Hermione tried to not think such thoughts, but everything was too much… to painful.

Maybe I should have pushed harder to make love with Harry, she chided herself mentally. Morganna below, there had plenty of times that they had been together… things heating up in ways that she would later remember when she was alone, each both but a heartbeat away from crossing that line they'd set for themselves.

Hermione remembered Harry's hands on her skin… her jumper tossed aside and the coolness of his fingers compared to the heat radiating off of her own skin playfully, dangerously dancing along the corners of her bra. How she had wanted him, the ache so deep she could taste it… the memory of the saltiness of his skin cooling on her tongue afterwards.

They'd always pulled back… usually with each slightly red and panting, usually from the rush of emotion, though more often later from the embarrassing state of things… the obviousness of Harry's desire for her straining for release.

Her eyes closed, she wanted to wish into existence the memory… to scream at herself to reach over and make it happen. She couldn't say that anything like that would have changed the cruelness of the cookies and her having had sex with Ron, but at least then she'd have known the pleasure of what was lost… though the hard self-accusation that if maybe it being Harry to take her virginity rather than Ron could have lessoned the sting.

As it was, Hermione blushed as the realization that Ron sitting across from her had seen her naked, had touched her in ways that she had fended off Harry… and the tears she was crying fell even harder.

"Baby…"

"No, Mum." She held her hand out to stop her mother from getting up. "I-I'm okay… I guess. I just don't know what to do…"

Dianne Granger sighed, respecting her daughter's request to not being comforted, turned and looked at the brother and sister that sat on he couch. Silently to herself, she congratulated herself on her control not to throw the boy out on his ear… the boy that had slept with Hermione, no matter the reason or cause.

Taking a breath, she only darted a glance at Hermione before turning her attention back to the pair of redheads. "Not that I want to keep bringing this up, but you're saying that Harry was with Tonks?" At their nods of ascent, she grimaced. "The woman that was protecting Harry last year?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ginny offered silently.

"And you all think that she and Harry are…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

"Together?" Ginny shrugged, shooting a sympathetic look towards where Hermione sat hunched in on herself. "It looked that way… but I really don't know. Harry was always hard to get to open up… well… for everyone except Hermione."

"Ain't that the truth." Ron muttered under his breath, bringing a brief smile to Dianne's lips.

Ginny shot a glare at her brother before looking back at the other woman. "The idea of Harry now being with her… is… well…"

"Hard to believe." Ron finished. Ginny only nodded.

Hermione's voice was a whisper. "But he and Tonks shared a bond. A connection. I was even jealous of it at Hogwarts."

"Maybe." Ginny sighed. "They did spend time together, but Hermione. Only when he wasn't able to be with you. You did take some different classes last year. Tonks had to stay close by."

"But he's hurt, now." Hermione met Ron's gaze and Ron flinched from the darkness he saw swirling in there. "And we all know how Harry is when he's in pain."

"He shuts everyone out." Ron looked confused.

Even Ginny rolled her eyes this time. "Harry's worst fear was to lose everyone. We both promised to always stay with him… but now we're the ones that he feels he's lost. The fact that Harry's talking at all means something happened."

"Like what?" Ron asked, his mouth running ahead of his brain once again.

"What indeed, Ron?" Hermione curled up into a tighter ball on the chair. "What has he done?"

Hoping to change the subject, though it wasn't a great one, Dianne desperately reached into the cushion of the chair she was occupying and pulled out the letter she had hidden there after it arrived not even an hour ago.

"Honey?" She waited until her daughter looked at her. Pressing onward, she held up the pale envelope, the heavy red-waxed seal easily discernable. "What are you going to do about Hogwarts? Your letter came today."

Hermione barely acknowledged her mother, her eyes unfocused. "Just open it… what does it say?"

Dianne ignored the lack of enthusiasm that Hermione usually held for the school letters. Carefully breaking the H seal, she pulled the parchment open, a golden object falling into her lap. Her eyes scanned the lines, an act that looked so much like her daughter that Ron wanted to point it out, though he remained silent.

After a moment, Dianne looked very thoughtful, her brow scrunched in worry. Hermione, knowing the letter was open, shot a look at her mother. "Well?"

Her mother set the letter down and picked up the object. A badge. "You were named Head Girl."

Normally, there would have been a celebration at the honor, a trip to their favorite restaurant and then a shopping spree from their girl. Now, it seemed like there was a sense of dread.

Sensing that there was more, Hermione lifted herself from the char until she was sitting upright, her eyes never leaving her mother. "What else? What aren't you saying?"

Dianne shook her head and handed the letter to her daughter. Ron and Ginny watched in continued silence as Hermione took the letter and started scanning the page. She apparently found what had her mother so concerned, because they could see Hermione stop and reread the same part over and over.

Eventually, the suspense became too much. "Well?"

Hermione looked up, her eyes blinking rapidly. "Professor McGonagall says that she is willing to offer all assistance we require to help in aiding us in whatever Dumbledore has tasked us to do."

Ginny looked between Hermione and Ron. "So?"

For once, Ron got it before his sister. Comprehension dawned on his face as he stared at his friend. "You mean…?"

She nodded as she held the parchment over for them to look at. "They named Harry Head Boy."


	10. Don't Fall

DON'T FALL

The short, petite redhead padded silently across the carpeted floor, the walls of the tent ruffling from the heavy winds outside. She smiled, a near predatory grin, as she moved around the edge of the inner wall, bringing her out of the main room of the magical tent that held the icebox and back into the bedroom… her gaze catching a quick glimpse of his profile. Her eyes adjusted to the immediate change, the moonlight shining through, his already pale skin almost luminescent.

There was a slight turn in the dark, some part of his body she was able to discern even with the help of the near full moon outside. Most likely him turning his head or shifting on the pallet of blankets and comforters that he called a bed.

Victory, her mind cried out. Silently, becoming a apart of the shadows of the night again, she moved to step closer… It wasn't until the light reflected off of those emerald eyes looking directly at her that she realized he'd known she was there all the time.

"How?" She pouted, her lower lip sticking out.

"Harry grinned as he reached out and indicated for her to return to bed, his eyes traveling along the legs sticking out from underneath the shirt he'd discarded before turning in for the night. "Come back to bed, Dora… it's late."

Tonks rolled her chocolate brown eyes as she blew a wisp of Weasley red hair away from her face. Sticking her tongue out playfully, she pulled the shirt off and negligently tossed it over by the door, and slipped her small, freckled body closer to Harry.

She leaned in for a kiss, but saw a wondering look on his face. "What?"

"Just…" He paused, his hair even more mussed than usual, as he lazily ran his eyes over the lithe form of Ginny Weasley. "Do you ever…?"

She seemed to catch on to the unfinished question. "Does it bother me that I can shag your brains out and have you looking and touching and… well," She smiled naughtily. "Do other things… to someone else? Look like whoever you or I want?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Tonks stretched out beside him, the skin of her body molding itself to his under the blankets. "No. It's me you're with, Harry. Me. Maybe if that's all you ever wanted… but the first time, you asked me for something that no one ever has… nobody that ever said they loved me or anyone else." She ran a finger across his chest, her head snuggling up on his shoulder. "Just you."

_They'd been literally ripping their clothes off… not waiting for anything. Tears marred their normal features and there was a crazed look in his eyes that had matched hers. It had started as just comfort… Harry crying on Tonks' shoulder as he recounted everything that had occurred that morning._

_She'd held him, much as she had during some of the many rows he and Hermione had endured… all the same, but it wasn't the same. He'd been in her arms as she rubbed his back and ran her fingers through his hair, listening to him spill out every insecurity and fear, every stray thought and painful memory… all of it. From the "I will not tell lies" scar in his hand to the scar on his lower back from the Horntail during the First Task in his fourth year. _

_None of it had broken him._

_Not even when Voldemort had bled him to be reborn… killing Cedric Diggory for just being there… the visions of his parents providing enough of a distraction for him to escape back to a world that would call him a liar and unbalanced. _

_No. It had taken the stupidity of a girl he'd given his heart to… it had been love that had destroyed the man that Harry Potter was to become._

_Tonks had known it was a mistake from the beginning when his arm had gone around her neck and he'd pulled her face close, his mouth suddenly over hers, demanding entrance. She could have stopped it, blamed it all on the tenseness of the situation, emotions running hot and wild. But Tonks didn't. Instead, she'd opened her mouth and met him with the same ferocity._

_There on the couch in the middle of Grimmauld Place's living room, their kissing had turned into groping which led to stripping and then to sex. She'd known it was not right. A rebound for both of them… he, with the loss of his world… and she was still slightly hung over and not thinking straight._

_Who was she kidding? Harry Potter was hot._

_The fantasies she'd borne through while guarding him, the times she'd catch him and Hermione alone, their mouths and hands all over each other… Tonks had wished for it to be her. Sure, the daydreams had first of been Remus doing those things to her that Harry was doing to Hermione, but more and more… much to Tonks' embarrassment, it was the sixteen year old boy that she saw more and more._

_All of which led to Tonks throwing inhibition and common sense out the window as Harry ripped the shirt from her, his fingers eliciting a gasp from her as the cool pressure of his fingers met her skin. _

"_Tonks…" Harry'd pulled his mouth off of her collarbone… his voice husky with his want of her._

"_Harry…"_

"_No, Tonks…" It had been the higher note that had calmed her enough to look at him, her violet eyes meeting his green._

_She felt herself begin to shrink back. "No?"_

_He grinned then, the pupils dilating. "What? No… no, I mean…" He let out a shaky breath, a fact she noted with some pride. "You're a metamorphmagus…"_

_She knew her face had fallen, her excitement dropping. He's going to ask me to look like Hermione… she'd almost pulled away, if she'd had any self-respect she might have, but she wanted him so badly. "Who do you want me to be?"_

_Harry had cocked his head then. "You. This is my…" He'd blushed then, his ears flaming. "I'm a virgin. Please… I want to be with you… the real you. Anything later is…"_

_Tonks had regarded him in silence, so many thoughts running through her head. She must have taken too long, as Harry began to pull back, but she'd refused to let him go._

_Without a word, she'd dropped everything. Every glamour, every tuck and every enhancement. She didn't need to see a mirror to know that she was pretty. Not beautiful… not like her mother, a true Black… but was pretty. Blue eyes, though nothing remarkable… brown hair, nearly black like her mother's, but carrying too much of her father's mousy brown to keep the look. Average body… a nice face._

_Unremarkable._

_There had been enough space between them for Harry to look at her then, his eyes darting everywhere, memorizing all of it. She knew she was blushing by the time his eyes returned to hers. _

"_You're beautiful. Thank you."_

_And then he kissed her in way that she knew she'd never been kissed before. Everything that she'd ever bottled up, every personal victory and loss, all of the times she'd been asked to be something else, the walls she'd erected over always being somebody's second choice… all of it came out… her pouring all of it into his mouth, their kiss becoming something more than either of them could handle alone… but together? Maybe._

Harry's hand running along her bare back was pulling her back into the now, her eyes fluttering open. She tilted her head to look up at him, to see that he was staring at the ceiling, the reflected shadows from the tree branches outside the roof of the tent creating dark and foreboding patterns.

"Are you okay?"

"Hm?" He jerked slightly. "Sorry. Thought you were asleep again."

Playfully running her hand lower, she chucked. "You know, since you brought it up… what do you think of my being Ginny."

Harry smiled as he shifted, turning on his side so he could look at her directly. Tonks moved to match him, although she never let her hand be drawn form where it was. "Is this what Ginny really looks like?"

She quirked a small eyebrow at him. "Don't I look like her?"

"Well…" He grinned. "Does she really have a birthmark that looks like a butterfly on the inside of her thigh?"

Tonks blushed, Ginny's freckled fading. "Uhm, yeah… see… and I've never told anyone this…"

"What?"

"I can do perfect copies if I touch the person."

Harry perked up. "Really?"

She nodded. "After last year, I could do almost anyone at Hogwarts, professors included, though maybe not so many of Slytherin."

"And for those you don't touch?"

"I can make copies… good enough to fool on the outside, those things that anyone can see… but nothing else. Just like you asking about Ginny's birthmark, when my aura meets theirs when we touch, just a hug or a handshake… then I can do it perfectly."

"But you're avoiding my question." She asked artfully.

"What was it again?"

Tonks reached a small hand further down Harry's front, the object of her search suddenly discovered… she smiled as he flinched instinctively and gasped. Fluttering her eyelashes, she opened her eyes wide trying to put on an innocent face, coupled with Ginny's face… Harry groaned in obvious pleasure.

"Hmmm?"

"She-she… wow… She had a crush on…"

Tonks started moving her hand faster. "Has, Harry. She still has a major crush on you. Trust me on this."

Harry's eyes closed as he inhaled deeply, his shoulders tensing as he allowed Tonks to keep control of the situation. "No, huh? Nothing for poor Ginny?" Her voice changed as she shifted, her body changing. "What about this?

Harry opened his eyes to stare at Lavender Brown. He grinned as he shook his head. "I'd make love to you in almost any female form, Dora, but I know its you. As long as I have the real you, you can look however you want."

Moving her hand, she raised her leg so that she was straddling his hips. Tonks nipped at his lower lip as she moved her hand down between them, adjusting him so that he moved into her easily, a gasp of familiar pleasure filling her suddenly, even at the difference in her body. Instinctively, they began to move with one another, their bodies finding a slow, even rhythm.

Liking the game, Tonks shifted again. "How about something different…"

Harry looked up into the eyes of Padma. He shook his head as he leaned closer to kiss her. "I took her to the Yule Ball…never thought I'd get this far with her after how much a prat I was…"

"Really?" She pushed up so that her arms were extended between them, the Hindu Ravenclaw's body rocking back and forth. "Bad boy, were you?"

Grinning, he leaned forward and caught her around the waist, pulling her back down to him. She yelped in surprise as he quickly rolled her over, Harry now atop, his weight pressing into her. Kissing her deeply, he moved his mouth over to the side, his breath sending chills down her spine as he whispered. "For me… please… don't make me beg…"

At the word _beg_, she felt the rush of warmth explode between her legs as she hungrily brought his face down to hers. She loved changing while they were kissing… her own personal kink. She felt Harry shudder, his control slipping away as she released him, his face pulling back to look at her, his movements more frantic, losing the rhythm and becoming more a drive… a need for release.

Closing her eyes, Tonks ground her hips to meet each of his thrusts as best she could, the memory of that dark look in his eyes bringing her quickly over the edge again, her body shaking as she felt the rush of Harry spilling deep inside, the strength of his arms holding him above her failing as they feel into each other… the sweet, sticky smell of sex filling their nostrils.

Idly, she stroked the back of his head, his breathing slowly evening out as he started to drift back off to sleep... his still revering body desperately needing the rest. She loved to feel his weight pressed on top of her, even as Harry instinctively rolled slightly to the side, allowing for her to move if she needed to once again sometime before morning.

She closed her eyes. It was going to be a long day tomorrow… she moved a hand to brush back the long hair around her face, grimacing slightly as she shortened it, her body shifting to a more recognized form… one that wouldn't have most psychiatrists screaming about unresolved issues and treading on dangerous ground.

The things she'd do for love…

The though stopped her cold as she considered the implications. Love? Could she be falling in love with Harry Potter?

Sure, she lusted after him… they were great together. She was in awe of his dedications and selflessness in the hope of protecting others. But love? They'd only been together a little over two weeks… four days of that with either one or both of them laid up and unconscious.

Sighing, Tonks shifted slightly so that she could look at his face. He seemed so at peace while he slumbered… no nightmares to ruin his nights just as Voldemort did in the real world during the days.

Yeah, she finally admitted to herself. She was definitely falling in love with him.

_Damn, Hermione…_

O X O X O X O X O X O

At the sound of talking, Draco looked up from the Daily Prophet sitting on the floor in front of him, a look of disgust on his face after reading the headlines. Harry and Tonks stepped out of their personal room of the tent to join him in the common area.

"Decided to get up finally, eh?"

Tonks rolled her eyes at the Slytherin as she sat down across from him, reaching out to quickly pick up the pot of coffee and pour herself a quick cup while Harry moved over to the small, portable pantry and started looking through some of the stores picked up last night.

Apparently having found what he was looking for, Harry stood, his hand carrying a small box of powdered doughnuts. Seeing a smile on Tonks' face as he looked over at her, her eyes on him, he wiggled his eyebrows and moved over to join them on the center mat.

He still couldn't get over how nice tents in the magical world could be. It really shouldn't have been much of a surprise, really, when you considered all of the rooms he'd been in that were bigger on the inside than the room on the outside provided for… but just like when he stayed with the Weasley's for the International Cup, the idea of a tiny tent holding a four or five room living space just boggled the mind.

"Breakfast?" Harry offered the box to Draco, ignoring the sneer that seemed to automatically appear whenever Harry was nice to him. Shrugging, Harry pulled one out and started to take a bite, only to lose his prize as Tonks snatched it out of his hand and pop the tiny treat in her mouth, a self-satisfied smirk on her face as she chewed.

"Hey!" Harry griped, scowling at the woman next to him as he carefully pulled out another doughnut.

"Yeah… thanks." Draco reached out and took it out of his hand. He and Tonks shared a quick smile at Harry's expense.

Throwing his hands in the air, Harry glared at each of them before pulling yet a third one from the slowly dwindling box. He moved to pull it away when Tonks acted like she was going to take it, her eyes dancing as Harry growled at her. He was so adorable!

"What's the plan?" Draco drawled, slowly handing a cup of coffee that he'd poured to Harry. "You two just going to play hide the wand for the day or are we going to get anything accomplished?"

Tonks went red at the blonde-haired prat's words while Harry was suddenly busy staring at the dark liquid in the mug in his hands, maybe looking to divine the answers. Wait… no… that was tea. Not coffee. Finishing her own cup of coffee, she set the empty mug down in front of her and reached to grab the pot. "Not all day…"

Harry almost spit out the coffee he was drinking. Draco just smiled. "Well? What's for the rest of the day? Do I get a go?"

Tonks shuddered. "Ick. No."

Harry cleared his throat. "How about we start a list of where the last one could be. We got Slytherin's locket; Hufflepuff's Cup; Voldemort's diary; Morvolo's ring…"

"We know that his stupid snake is one." Tonks offered.

Malfoy was nodding. "And then there's the evil git himself. That's six."

"We need an idea of the last one." Harry sighed. "And since he did one for his days at Hogwarts with the diary and the ring to represent his family…"

"Two of the four Founders are left. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."

"But which?" Tonks added as Draco finished.

Looking at the two people he was relying on, definitely not the people he would have expected… two that if last year you'd made such a prediction, he'd have laughed aloud. "Draco… if it was you?"

"Me what?" Draco looked up, ice blue against emerald green.

"If you were Tom Riddle… you looking to make these damned things. Which would you have chosen… Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?"

"Me? Creating something like this…" His words faded as he went deeper into thought. Instinctively, Tonks reached out and grabbed Harry's hand.

Draco finally looked up. "Neither." At Harry's look, he smirked. "I'd have chosen something of yours."

"Mine." Harry's eyes were wide. Draco nodded and Tonks moved to ask a question, but Harry suddenly stood, his mug of coffee nearly spilling at his feet but for Draco's quick reflexes. "Mine." He repeated.

"What are you on about, Potter?"

"Harry?"

Harry was shaking his head. "Not Godric. Not Rowena. Dumbledore."

"What!" Both Draco and Tonks shouted together.

He grinned at them, his eyes now alight, a raging inferno. "Tom would have used something of Dumbledore's… a slap in the face. Against the one wizard he feared above all others."

Draco sighed. "It fits."

Tonks now stood, her own face animated. "You know, Dumbledore was a Ravenclaw… possibly the most famous and powerful since Rowena herself. There's a good chance something he owned might've belonged to her, as well."

"He was Ravenclaw?" Harry looked up. "I thought he was Gryffindor."

Tonks shook her head. "Nope."

Draco scowled at Harry. "Why do all the heroes have to be sodding Gryffindors for you? The other Houses not good enough for you?"

Harry looked startled. "I never said that…"

"I'm Hufflepuff." Tonks smiled proudly, though it became a frown when Harry and Draco together rolled their eyes. "Hey!"

Smirking, Harry shared a glance with the Slytherin before moving over to take her in his arms. She resisted, but eventually allowed herself to be coaxed into a hug. "I like you being Hufflepuff. I need that renowned loyalty." She smiled.

"Oh, please."

"Draco, shut up." Tonks tightened her arms around Harry. "We're having a moment."

"Yippee." Draco sipped at his coffee. "You know… its going to take some time to figure out what it could be…"

Harry nodded. "Yeah… Dumbledore had a lot of stuff."

"Well, he was over one hundred fifty years old." Tonks supplied.

Groaning, Harry let Tonks put her head on his shoulder as he ran his hands along her back. "We need to do research."

At the word research, Tonks tensed. Research had always been Hermione's forte. Taking a deep breath, she pulled back and looked up at him. "More than that, Harry… we need something to research through."

Draco frowned. "Hogwarts is the best shot… that's where most of the old man's stuff will be, not to mention a library that rivals most of the larger collections in the world."

Harry closed his eyes. Hogwarts would have the ghosts of Dumbledore, the scars of the fight with Deatheaters… Professor Snape's betrayal (no matter what Draco said to the contrary). Worse, Ron would be there… and Hermione.

A tug on his arm made him look down at Tonks, her face worried. "I'll stay with you all the way." Silently, she added that she'd stay with him forever if he'd let her.

To his side, Malfoy nodded as he poured the remaining dregs from the coffee pot into his mug. "Me, too… if we can figure a way, that is."

Harry nodded. "Guess I'm going back for seventh year after all."


	11. Another Conversation

A/N: Let me say for the record that I absolutely hate this chapter. I've written it three different times and each time seems to be worse than the last. : sigh : There was a purpose in this chapter, certain things that I wanted to throw into the story before I went too much farther.

Hopefully, the next one will get back to the action.

Keep reviewing.

O X O X O X O X O X O

ANOTHER CONVERSATION

Diagon Alley was always a treat. Smiling at the myriad of colours and sounds that wafted around every building… every possible corner… every person, encircling without any way to escape… not that anyone would ever want to, it was almost enough to cause an overload to the brain. At least, that was Luna's opinion, anyway.

She smiled as she swung her satchel full of school supplies across her left shoulder, the curtain of her light blonde hair just barely escaping being tugged out of her scalp by the shoulder stray, she ignored the personal discomfort she almost created for herself and moved to pick up the cup of Purple Mountain Berry flavored ice cream (with sprinkles, no less) that the nice lady across the counter had set down for her.

Luna Lovegood smiled brightly, taking a quick taste of the tart sweetness and waved, the spoon spilling a few drops of the iced violet-coloured dessert, as she turned to catch up with the other girls who were already waiting for her outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor

"Ready?" Padma Patil asked, wrinkling her nose as she looked at the strangely tinted ice cream that Luna was eating. Luna only nodded in response, the plastic spoon still in her mouth.

Padma and her twin, Pavarti both turned and led Luna over to where a group of girls were all waiting… everyone in sixth and seventh year making it a day to pick up school supplies. It had not been easy to set up, easily attested by Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Lavender Brown… the general consensus of many Ministry officials was that those working for You-Know-Who could attack at any time. It had been Susan, however, who suggested getting large groups to go shopping all at once. That way, there could plenty of aurors and MLE to be nearby, if it became necessary.

So far, there had been three such outings, each by different grades and Houses… no attacks. What the girls had no idea of… all except Luna, perhaps, was that the longer there were no attacks going on, the more worried everyone was getting.

Luna smiled, her pale blue eyes taking in everything as she looked around at the huddled girls, various giggling conversations going on. She tried not to listen in on any once conversation, rather choosing to see if the whole experience of all of tem talking at once. It was a bit disorienting, at first, though slowly she seemed to catch the hand of it. The normal names seemed to dominate most of the relationship gossip.

_Was Michael Corner still with Cho Chang? _

_What about Seamus? _

_Did you hear what Daphne from Slytherin was caught doing with Terry Boot before the end of last year? _

_Ron?_

"Huh?" Luna came up from her moment of being _spaced out_, as Ginny had once referred to it. "What about Ronald?"

Padma covered her mouth as she giggled. "Arthur's Sword, Luna… where do you go?" The other girls joined in on the giggling. "I asked about how you and Ron are doing. Is it going to be a race between you and Ron against Harry and Hermione for the best broom closets to snog in?"

Lavender gasped at Padma's audacity, but everyone could see her eyes were just as interested in the latest gossip about anything to do with the Golden Trio as the next. Maybe more so, especially since she'd been on vacation for the majority of the summer.

Sighing, Luna remembered Harry's instructions and shook her head, affecting a forlorn expression. "No… Ron and I aren't together anymore…"

It had the effect that Tonks had warned them both about. Shrieks of every octave suddenly assaulted Luna's ears as everyone was suddenly riveted on her every word… the Gospel according to Luna. Taking a quick bite of her ice cream, she continued the appearance of reluctance to talk.

It was too much. "What happened?" was chorused by many of the girls, though Lavender suddenly had a shrewd look on her face.

"Is that why Ginny's not here?"

Luna shook her head. "Ginny and me are okay… as well as can be expected, I guess."

Susan leaned closer and smiled sympathetically. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want… but we're here if you need anything."

The boldness of the obviously false statement was almost enough for Luna to break out in a fit of giggles herself. How was it that others fell for this? Keeping her face down to avoid everyone else seeing her roll her eyes, she composed herself and leaned into the other girl… Susan's arm immediately moving around Luna's shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, Luna refused to look at any of them. The effect was one of shame or confusion, while the truth was closer to the fact that Luna wanted to shout at each and every one of them for being almost too stupid to live. "Harry caught Hermione and Ronald together…"

That had been enough.

"Oh, my God!"

Lavender's eyes looked ready to roll into the back of her head. "Not Hermione… not… She lost Harry?"

"You're lying!"

Luna waited until everyone had had their say… many of them having two or three says on the matter, before everyone calmed down enough to let Luna go on.

Nodding slowly, she kicked at a loose pebble on the road, before slowly moving her way down the walk… her steps leading her towards the twins' shop at the end. "Near on three weeks ago now… Harry caught them. Huge fight, hit Ronald… took off."

"What did you do?" Pavarti asked, her voice full of false interest.

"Broke up with Ronald."

"He didn't try to say anything?" Lavender asked. "Some excuse for what happened?"

She shrugged slightly, her hand moving to adjust the satchel to her other shoulder. "He'd came by several times… wanting to talk, to beg off the mistake."

"And did he?" Hannah asked. "Apologize to you?"

"I don't know." Luna offered softly. "I never saw him… I was strong for the first day or so, but it took Daddy stepping in and running him off that finally got him to leave me alone."

"You Dad?" Lavender gasped.

Luna finished the last bite of her ice cream before looking for a recycle receptacle to throw the bowl away in… the plastic spoons she kept. Finally finding one and taking a moment to walk away from the girls as they whispered among themselves, Luna took her time coming back. As she finally drew nearer, the faces of her classmates looking up guiltily, the all came over to her.

"What about Harry? And Hermione?"

"Well, I haven't spoken to Hermione…" She started.

"I'd say not to talking with that know-it-all hussy, having her own boyfriend and then trying to take yours. Always thought she was too important, she did, hanging out with the two of them all those years." A girl from Ravenclaw piped in. "But Harry…"

Just as Tonks had laughingly suggested, the girls were immediately on the prowl. By Luna's own mouth, she'd released the dogs after a very eligible (in the girls' minds) Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley… though everyone was at least civil enough to not sharpen their claws in front of Luna. That would be bad form, after all.

Time for the next bomb. It was a completely different plan than she had originally been instructed to follow, but Hedwig had arrived this morning… Harry's erratic writing telling her to let everyone know his plans. "I saw Harry briefly… he's been considering skipping this year…"

"Skipping!" Padma shouted. "What…"

Lavender cut her off, her eyes flashing in quick understanding. "He'd make everyone think it's because of the breakup, but he's planning something… especially after all the rumours last year about special training he was getting from Professor Dumbledore."

She paused as everyone took in what she was saying. "Did you and Ron really break up?"

Luna nodded. "On my magic."

Lavender seemed to absorb the information as she clucked her tongue against the room of her mouth. "Is Harry coming to school this year?"

Everyone seemed to lean in as Luna looked back and forth among all of the faces, their undivided attention riveted to her. Slowly she nodded. "At first, he was completely against it… but something has changed… maybe something more than just a simple break up between him and Hermione." She shrugged. "Whatever it is, Harry is going back to school… and is going to be Head Boy, to boot."

"Ooohh… that sounds like fun…" Padma wiggled her eyebrows at Lavender. "The Head Suite… wonder who got the Head Girl slot…"

Hannah Abbott rolled her eyes. "Like that was ever in doubt…"

"But if they're not together…" Pavarti looked at her twin, mirrored reflections at the cunning plainly written across each of their faces.

Luna continued on with the conversations, the girls still talking about Harry and Hermione, the unspoken realization that they all seemed to reach at the same time to not talk about Ron while the ex was still there. Harry… I hope you know what you're doing, she thought plaintively.

O X O X O X O X O X O

Fred Weasley pulled back the cord on their patented Extendable Ear, only two close calls in almost being discovered by the gaggle of girls standing in the middle of the walkway just a few buildings down from their novelty shoppe.

Skulking further into the shadows, the lanky redhead finished recoiling the cord and moved hurriedly towards Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, hoping to slip back in to the crowded building without anyone being any wiser that he'd not been where he was supposed to be… a feat that made only noteworthy due to the fact that there were so many sentries about Diagon Alley that it was almost hard to sneeze alone in the bathroom with someone handing you a kerchief.

Carefully entering through a secret back door, Fred moved up to the loo and quickly flushed the toilet and lighted a match before making his way out of the back. Lee Jordan was calling out customer numbers, the line looking to have doubled inside the shoppe as kids of all ages were pushing through the shelves, all hoping to pick up the latest prankster must have item. Stepping up to the second register, Freed saw that Lee was shooting him an agitated look.

"What?" Fred askewd as he began ringing up items from the very frustrated mother of three across the counter from him. Three kids? Nah. Come back after seven more.

Lee shook his head as he told the people he'd just helped to come again. "Nothing… just… where were you? I was dying out here alone."

"You were fine…" Fred offered. "Where was George?"

"Got a call from Gringotts… Bill and Charlie were onto something and wanted to see one of you." Lee grimaced. "George said you were stuck with your pants around your ankles and that he'd fill you in later." He paused as he thanked someone for their patronage. "Did you bring me that money you owe me?"

Fred shook his head. "Nope. Too busy trying not to die. Bad muggle food. Ignore anything that you order by the number…"

"Ouch." He sympathized. "The Chinese or the Indian?"

"Mexican." Fred made a face as he finished helping another patron. "I will never again trust the lunch special, plate number thirty-five."

Lee started to respond, but the front door bell decided to ring, pulling their attention for a moment. The ring always sounded different for someone coming in than it did for anyone leaving. Over the heads of the people still in the store, Fred saw his twin moving quickly over towards him, his normally jovial face deep in a scowl.

Mouthing _later_, Fred moved to hurry and finish helping and ringing out the people ready to make their purchases.

It easily took another forty-five minutes to get the store back under control, Lee and the twins being the only ones scheduled to work that day. Alicia and the new girl… Wilma or something, both had today off. Fred offered to let Lee take an hour break… thirty minutes longer than his usual… a fact that would have made _The Quibbler_ if Eugene Lovegood had been around, but Lee chose not to question the twin's good mood and dove out the door.

"Well?" Fred asked just as George sighed.

"Do you want me to go first or you?"

Fred considered for a moment before nodding to his brother. You saw Billy and Chuck…. What did they want?"

George leaned his elbows over the counter, leaning back in a very relaxed pose. "Harry's sent back his letter. He's agreed to return to Hogwarts."

"But that's gre…" He stopped talking at the look on his brother's face.

"There were a few… uhm… shall we say demands on his part that she had to agree to before he'd agree."

"Okay…."

George shook his head. "First, he gets to come and go as he pleases. He'll attend classes as best he can, but that Dumbledore's task is more important."

Fred felt his eyes go wide. "Wow."

His brother snorted. "Right. Wow. Then there's the fact that he's bringing two people with him that must be able to attend."

Standing upright, his back stiff, Fred looked at his brother. "You mean Tonks and Malfoy."

His twin nodded.

They both knew that there was something going on between Harry and Tonks, especially after the row Mum and Dad had had after briefly seeing Harry at the school infirmary. From everything that they had been able to put together between the shouts of her "being too old" and Harry "being too young" or the "breaking of Hermione's heart", there had even been whispers of Remus being inconsolable… a fact that Fred and George wondered at: Which was he upset about… losing Tonks or losing Harry? It all came down to the fact that Harry finding Hermione and their youngest brother in bed together had destroyed one of the strongest points of hope around.

It was almost too much to take.

Now, Harry was cavorting with a miniature Deatheater-In-Training and a metamorphmagus that could barely walk down the street without causing a spill or two. Their brother was miserable, his girlfriend choosing now rather to hang out with the girls that she had always referred to as useless and wastes of good air… Hermione was inconsolable, nearly vanishing from public sight.

Mum and Dad were fighting; Remus miserable. McGonagall was furious to a degree that neither twin had ever encountered before… and lest anyone leave out the youngest Weasley, Ginny… she'd taken it upon herself to discover the source of the cookies, the innocent and fun spell that could ultimately lend to You-Know-Who's victory… the Golden Trio cracked, maybe broken… more likely shattered.

Fred felt honestly sick to his stomach. "Anything else?"

George looked at his brother. "There was more, but I sorta stopped paying attention afterwards. The Order has been told to stay away from him, Tonks and Malfoy. If they want something, they'll ask for it… and they've already asked for complete and unrestricted access to the entire Hogwarts Library."

Fred chuckled. "Is that all?"

"No. They also want to go through all of Dumbledore's things."

"Really? What for?"

George shrugged. "He ain't talking."

Sitting there, they both were suddenly glad that the store was quiet… empty for the moment. They looked at each other, one of the few times their able to predict one another completely gone, leaving them confused and alone… even standing next to one another.

"What did you learn?" George finally asked.

Fred sighed. "Not a lot… some the same stuff as you. Though I have a few suspicions."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He frowned. "We've got to fix this."

George coughed. "And how do we do that?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Fred whined, his eyes serious. "But no matter the cost, we've got to fix this or everything will come apart."


	12. Back To School

BACK TO SCHOOL

The compartment door slide open, pulling her gaze away from the conversation currently going on to look over to whoever had intruded upon their solitude. Lavender arched an eyebrow at the figure… almost unrecognizable, someone not worth noticing, until the gleam of the Head Girl badge on the left shoulder brought her back to Hermione Granger's face. The woman that stood in the doorway, her face pale and her eyes haunted as she surveyed the occupants of the room, looked nothing like the proud, powerful friend that she had last seen.

"Sorry." A soft voice replied. "I was just making rounds."

Without any fanfare or personal contact, the room of girls watched the faint shadow of their former housemate and friend escape out the door, closing it firmly behind her. Every eye in the room looked in surprise at the others, no one quite sure what to say.

It was Lavender Brown that moved first. "See you guys later… save me a seat at the table." She quickly grabbed her robes from her trunk and then moved away from everyone else, slipping into the Hogwarts Express hallway, her eyes darting left and right, looking for her friend. She was no where to be seen.

Sighing, the blonde pushed her hair back over her shoulder and moved towards the front on the train, ignoring the slight queasiness that she felt from the rocking of the locomotive. Several students in the compartments she passed called out to her, brief hellos or offers to join them… one group of fifth year boys (Hufflepuffs, she thought) even dared to whistle at her, a gesture she promised to get them back for. Finally, she was at the front car, the Head Car, as it had been nicknamed. Not waiting, she pulled the door open and moved inside before the lone occupant inside could say protest.

Hermione looked horrible. Her hair was cut to shoulder length and laid strait, the trademark curls and twists gone. Her clothes seemed to hang on her, like she was either wearing someone else's hand-me-downs or she had lost so much weight that nothing fit her anymore. But it was her face… the skin was pale, no hint of color… and, for once, Lavender wasn't just talking about make-up. Her friend looked like she hadn't seen the sun for weeks.

The girl looked up from where she was curled up on the bench, her defeated and lusterless eyes meeting Lavender's. "Hey."

Lavender shut the door behind her as she moved into the room, intentionally making no sudden movements… Hermione looked ready to break. Sitting next to her dorm mate and friend, the blonde-haired girl set her robes across from her in the empty seat and waited.

Hermione grimaced under the scrutiny. "What?" Lavender arched an eyebrow, folding her arms under her breasts as she waited. The silence drew out, Hermione's dull drown eyes refusing to meet her blue ones, trying to find something within the confines of the small compartment that could save her. Lavender simply continued to wait.

"Fine." Hermione eventually broke. "What? What do you want to hear first? How I look, maybe? Like shit, I'm sure… ever since…" She sighed. "I just can't get myself to care right now…"

"Is this…?"

"Because I'm a slag? That Harry broke up with me? Yep… no real secret there. I think over half the female population of eligible females on this train knows that juisy bit and are plotting on how to land 'em."

"Hermione…"

"No." Hermione shook her head, wetness sparkling at the corners of her eyes, but they didn't fall. "I don't know what you've heard… Ron and Luna broke up, too…"

Lavender broke in while the girl next to her took a breath. "I know. I heard it from Luna."

Hermione's eyes went wide, her face having gone even paler, if such a thing were possible. "What did she say? What do you know?"

"Not much." Lavender tried to hide her shock at the worry in Hermione's questions. "That you and Ron had been caught together… doing what, I have no…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at Hermione's face, the guilt radiating like the heat from the sun. "You didn't!"

Silently, the tears now falling, Hermione nodded. Lavender brought her hands up over her mouth, the shock of what Hermione was admitting to just too hard to believe. She watched as the girl wiped her hand across her cheek, trying to hide her crying.

"Damn. You'd think I'd have cried enough by now."

Lavender sputtered. It was just too much to take in. "Why?"

She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the flush that came to her skin at having to tell the story again, the images of what she and Ron did that night burned into her brain… yet another way for it to torture her for all eternity. "A lust spell."

"What!" The blonde shrieked. "I don't understand…"

Hermione sighed as she pulled out her wand and threw up a privacy spell around the compartment and then threw a locking charm on the door. Once satisfied that it was just the two of them, she spent the better part of the remaining trip explaining what had occurred; the cookies, about Harry finding them the next morning, about Ginny's investigation… and even about the rumours of Harry and Tonks.

Once finished, Lavender moved over and hugged Hermione hard, refusing to let go until the other girl hugged her back. "This is worse than those soap operas you got me hooked on."

She didn't think it would be possible, but Hermione laughed… possibly her first real laugh since the middle of July. Unconsciously, her arms moved to encircle her friend's as she seemed to hold on for dear life.

"I had hoped to talk to Harry… maybe… he being Head Boy and all."

Lavender pulled back, though she kept her hands on Hermione. "Where is he? Did he decide to skip this year, after all?"

Shaking her head, Hermione pulled out a parchment from her pocket. "This was waiting for me when I got to the train this morning. The headmistress says that Harry would be unable to make the train and would be meeting everyone at Hogwarts."

She took the letter from Hermione's hand and scanned the contents. "Well… at least this confirms that he'll be there."

"What am I going to do, Lav?" She asked suddenly… finally, the question Lavender had been waiting for. "I feel like I'm going to die…"

"You're not going to die, love. Not today." Pulling Hermione's face up by her chin, Lavender smiled. "The first thing you've got to do is pull yourself together. Honestly, why no one thought to beat some sense into you is beyond me."

Hermione started to respond, but Lavender ignored her. "Harry fell in love with a smart, powerful, risk-taking witch that has the top marks in her class… not some weak-willed, cowardly crybaby."

"What!" She pushed Lavender away from her. "How dare you…"

At the look she was getting, anger… mo, life… finally bringing some light back into Hermione's eyes, Lavender nodded. "Good. You don't like that. At least you've still got some spirit."

"I don't…" She was back to being unsure of herself. Damn!

"Look." Lavender sighed. "Your world was made up of two boys and you. They were your support, your strength, your friendship and eventually, your true love." Hermione nodded. "And your world was perfect to you. But now, that world is gone. You're going to have to make some hard choices… some things that you're not going to like…"

"Like what?"

Pressing her lips together, Lavender leaned closer. "Like choosing between Harry and Ron."

"But it was the cookies. I don't want Ron like that!"

"No." She shook her head. "I mean that you're going to have to pick only one of them to be in your life… maybe only as a friend." At Hermione's confused appearance, Lavender continued. "Harry won't be able to stand seeing the two of you together… at all."

"But… b-but Ron's once of my best friends…"

Lavender shrugged. "Ron is going to have to make some of the same choices. It's probably why he isn't here with you now on the train…"

"I don't…"

"Think, Hermione. Ron's going to have to decide if Luna is worth giving you up for." At seeing that she was actually listening, Lavender decided to go ahead and hit her with the heavier blow. "And there's a chance that you will lose both of them."

Hermione's eyes widened. "But… why?"

"Well, what if you decide to give up Ron for Harry…" She paused when Hermione nodded. "And Harry doesn't want you back. Or if you choose Ron, but Ron gives you up for Luna. Or any other million possibilities."

"I'm never eating cookies again."

Lavender patted her hand, then stood and reached for her robe, taking a moment to pull the dark fabric over her regular clothes. "Whoever did this… they were brilliant. I'm sorry to admit. With one act, they've broken up so many relationships and set the world upside down."

"What am I going to do?" Hermione finally stood and pulled her robe out from her trunk. "I love Harry so much… and Ron's been such a good friend, my best friend. Is there no way to fix it?

Lavender looked over and started searching through Hermione's carry bag, her eyes lighting up when she pulled out a hairbrush. Running in through her hair, she frowned. "I honestly can say that I see no immediate fix to the problem… it's just too big. "

At Hermione's look, she smiled and handed the brush over to her once she was satisfied with her own hair. "But that's not to say that it can't be fixed. You just have to decide if he's worth all of the pain you're going to have to go through."

Hermione began running the brush through her own shortened hair. "He is, Lav. Harry's worth any pain."

Lavender regarded her silently, debating on whether to say it or not. Once the train had come to a stop, she reached out and caught Hermione's shoulder before she got caught up in helping the first years. At her questioning look, Lavender hugged her one last time and whispered in her ear.

"I hope so… because this year is going to hurt."

O X O X O X O X O X O

Pleasantly full, Hermione leaned away from the table as the food began to disappear… the work of Hogwarts house elves. Only a small bubble of anger arose from the idea of house elves doing the work without pay, the remnants of S.P.E.W. dancing through her head.

It had been a while since she'd eaten anything so substantial. Her parents would be thrilled… one of their constant worries had been her drastic loss of weight. They had even threatened to not allow her to go to Hogwarts this year if she didn't improve… the fact that Lavender and some of the others she knew had been so worried over her weight loss. What would they think if they knew that she'd actually gained weight over the past week to convince her parents that she was well enough to go back to school?

Harry was still no where to be seen. There had been the Sorting Ceremony… the Hat's song still passing out dire warnings of the future… and then the first years had come into the Great Hall. After they'd gone through, Headmistress McGonagall had deviated from any previous year and announced that several new students were attending Hogwarts… smaller schools choosing to move their children to the greater protections of the ancient castle.

Hermione had paid only slight attention. Two fifth years that were sorted into Slytherin and Ravenclaw. A sweet-looking girl that joined Gryffindor's third year. Several for Hufflepuff, the House to gain the most transfer students… and then there was the scary, new Ravenclaw.

She had felt her heart catch in her throat when the boy had looked around the room, his dark eyes seeming to linger on her for a moment before sitting on the stool, a calm look of uncaring settling across his features. The whole school seemed to hold its breath while the Sorting Hat took its time with him… Hermione had been left with the thought that the two were arguing up there, before the Hat had called out Ravenclaw.

Few had cheered, although the boy… Jay Flemming, she remembered his name… Jay had not cared. His eyes had swept to the headmistress, her mouth in a thin line as he'd bowed to her, a courtly gesture, before moving to join his House.

"Your attention, please." McGonagall's voice rang out over the students, both new and old, bringing silence to the room. "Thank you." Hermione watched as the woman took a breath and then placed her hands carefully on the sides of the podium before her.

"This year will be like none other in recent memory… the loss of Albus Dumbledore as a fixture of Hogwarts, whether as a student… a professor… or as our beloved headmaster, over one hundred years was the man we knew and cared for was a fixture of our life.

"I would like to announce that the Board of Governors has seen fit to name me as Headmistress of Hogwarts, the tradition and strength of the school will persevere. Professor Flitwick, of Ravenclaw, has been named Deputy Headmaster and will have all of the right and privileges associated with that position."

There was a pattering of applause at the announcements.

"Further, I would like to introduce two new teachers. I would like to welcome Professor Willem Ku'une who will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts." She gestured over to the far end of the table to the right, a heavyset man rising, his mustache falling nearly to his belt. "And, since I am taking over the role as headmistress, I am vacating my spot over Transfiguration. The new…"

The door behind and to the left of the professor's table suddenly opened, the door swinging hard and slamming into the wall, a crack like a muggle weapon echoing through the large chamber. Every head turned as a petite young woman entered, her pale features suddenly rosy pink at her less than graceful entrance.

The whole school watched as the woman pushed her sun blonde hair away from her face. "Sorry I'm late." The young woman giggled slightly as she made her way over to the table.

"As I was saying," McGonagall glared at the woman before looking back over the students. "I would like to introduce the new Transfiguration Professor, Nymphadora Tonks."

At hearing the name, Hermione knew what little colour had been restored to her cheeks was completely gone as she watched the woman wave brightly, her eyes sparkling as her blonde hair suddenly shortened and became a glaring shade of purple. The effect had its desired results, as many of the students (especially the males and the youngsters) all "oohed" and "ahhed."

"Oh. My. God." Lavender leaned over into Hermione's line of sight and mouthed the exclamation. Not knowing what else to do, she could only shrug as the headmistress continued on with her speech after a quick look was shared between Tonks and McGonagall.

"Mr. Filch has asked me to remind the students that there is to be no magic used in the hallways by students. There is also a list of restricted items that are not allowed on Hogwarts grounds… a full item list and description can be found on hallway outside of Mr. Filch's office.

"As has been repeated several times over the past years… the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students." Hermione raised her eyebrows as McGonagall seemed to linger for a moment on her, before settling on Ron.

"Quidditch tryouts will be announced by Madam Hooch. The respective captains of the House Teams will be responsible for all practices and announcements for their team.

Taking a deep breath, she watched the room. "The Head Girl for this year is Hermione Granger. Please stand, Miss Granger." At the instruction, she had no choice but to stand, the feeling of every eye in the Great Hall staring at her. For a moment, she considered looking up at Tonks… Professor Tonks, now… but chickened out.

"Head Boy is Harry Potter..." Several students broke out in excited conversation, Hermione sitting back down at the attention being diverted, although she saw that Flemming was still watching her. "Mister Potter, if you would step forward."

At the statement, Hermione felt her head swivel along with everyone else as she turned to look towards the far corner where McGonagall gestured. She felt her skin flush and her mouth drop open as Harry Potter stood out of the back shadows and waved… but it was definitely not the Harry that she remembered.

He looked good.

Wait… that wasn't fair, she mentally chided herself. He'd always looked good. Now, he looked unbelievably hot.

Harry wasn't in his robes, a no-no, but Hermione would have bet every knut and cent she owned that he wouldn't get more than a slight chastisement for it. No. Harry stood there in the palest paid of jeans she'd ever seen… almost white, that molded to him like a second skin. His shirt was mint green, soft and almost feminine, but Harry looked entirely male in it. A button up shirt, left undone near his neck… a hint of the locket's chain glittering where the collar of the shirt flared out.

His hair was longer… nothing drastic, but the change was remarkable. The hair was longer in the front and waved madly, giving almost a dangerous appearance… much like Sirius had looked after his escape from Azkaban.

Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over to see Ginny Weasley looking like she needed assistance to remain standing. Looking around, everyone looked like that… all of the girls (and some of the boys… what closet now?) were staring at Harry like he was the last slice of chocolate cake… absolutely edible and delicious.

And, as was Harry's usual state, he looked absolutely oblivious to the effect he was having.

"Yes… well…" Hermione turned to look to find that even the headmistress was flustered. "I believe we will call it a night. Classes begin bright and early tomorrow morning. Dream well and wake happy." As many of the students began to stand, Hermione lost sight of Harry… that area of the room suddenly filling up rather quickly.

"Miss Granger?" She turned to find Professor Flitwick standing next to her.

"Yes, sir?"

"The headmistress would like to see both you and Mister Potter before you retire this evening." At her nod, the diminutive man smiled. "The password is _matchstick_."

"First years… this way…" Hermione looked over to find Harry calling out to many of the new students, his emerald eyes sparkling at the barrage of questions that were being thrown at him. "Questions later…" he called, his voice strong but kind. "Let's show you the way to where you'll be staying.

She felt all the air leave her as his eyes were suddenly on her, the sparkle in his eyes dimming on slightly. "Over there is Miss Granger… Hermione. She'll help you, as well."

At his direction, several of the first years that were crowding around him moved over to her and she laughed, the eagerness in their eyes enough for her to forget some of her own problems. "That's right. Come with me. Come with us. Let's get you all to your beds for the night…"

Hermione felt a real smile plaster across her face as Harry moved over beside her, his posture relaxed as he shared a brief smile with her and turned to lead them out the Great Hall's entrance, a pier and his mice. Walking next to him, she yearned to reach out and hold his hand… the memories of them together in these halls nearly overwhelming her.

"Did McGonagall want to see us?" Harry broke her out of her thoughts.

She glanced at him and nodded... Lavender's words running through her mind… _a choice_. "As soon as we get everyone situated."

"Okay." He nodded and started answering some of the questions being thrown at them from the children.

Hermione smiled and decided to do the same. _I choose you, Harry. I will always choose you._


	13. Caught

CAUGHT

"And this is satisfactory to you both?" Headmistress McGonagall's voice was sharp, clipped. She could tell by the wide-eyed faces that there was no doubt in the minds of either figure sitting across from her that she would carry out her threat if it became necessary.

"I'm trusting you with the safety of this school and the lives of all in it. Both of you." She amended. "And while I can sympathize with what you might or might not be going through, I will not allow for a… well… a lover's argument to disrupt this school again."

Harry opened his mouth to retort, but McGonagall shot him a look that dried the words up faster than any silencing hex. "I do not care for the particulars, Mister Potter. You are Head Boy and you are to set an example for the other students. To have something like this brought to me is unacceptable… that you would engage in such behavior, disrupting class. Never in all my years…"

Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair, his green eyes cold. "Fine."

Apparently, that was exactly the _wrong_ thing to say. "It is not fine, Mister Potter. I will only allow this to slide once. There will be no opportunity after this. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You may wait outside." Harry considered waiting… but the look the witch across the desk was shooting at him was enough that he could only nod. Standing, he went to the door and opened it quickly, ignoring the looks that many of the portraits in the office were giving him. Minerva watched as he seemed to fight within himself for a moment, the decision to leave apparently too much.

"To you dorm room, Mister Potter. Immediately." She reiterated. Harry looked at her before deciding to follow her orders. The door clicked shut behind him.

McGonagall nodded before her hawk-like gaze settled on the young woman sitting next to where Harry had been, her eyes downcast. "And you." The woman flinched, though it may have been more from the lack of attention from Harry before leaving her alone than any words of reprimand coming. "What were you thinking, getting involved like that?"

Professor Tonks looked up to meet the headmistress' eyes, her own eyes finally allowing the tears that had been threatening to fall since everything had blown up this morning slide gently down her cheeks. "I know… I'm… sorry…"

Minerva reached over and pulled a kerchief from a desk drawer and handed it to Nymphadora. As the young professor wiped at her nose, Minerva considered that maybe acquiescing to Harry Potter's demands for returning to Hogwarts had been a mistake. After all, no matter how well Tonks did as the new Transfiguration professor, it was definitely not a job so one so young would have ever been offered if not for needing a legitimate reason for having her here.

Tonks, on the other side of things, thought of herself as a complete failure. Sure, she and Harry got along great when it was just the two of them and they'd been able to sleep in the same bed together… eat together. But now separated… her alone in the teachers' area and him alone in the Head Room… and not even alone, the jealousy coloured everything. He shared it with Hermione. Nearly a month of sharing a room with her.

"I'm jealous." Her hands clinched into fists. "So jealous it hurts."

Minerva nodded sagely. "I know." She stood from her chair and walked over to a cabinet, the key for it around her neck. Tonks barely watched as the older witch opened the worn doors and pulled out a bottle of something.

"Drink?"

Tonks laughed as she nodded. She so needed a drink right now.

Minerva set two glasses down and poured a bright blue liquid into each tumbler. Setting the bottle back down, she waited until Tonks had chosen a glass before picking one up herself. Hoisting her drink in the air, she looked at Tonks over the tops of her spectacles. "To the men that drive us to drink."

"Hear, hear." Tonks took a sip. She felt her eyes widen at the taste, the alcohol scorching her tongue before moving down the rest of her throat, leaving no inch spared any pain. "Wh-w-what is this?"

The headmistress shrugged. "No idea. Albus left it to me in his will. Said one day I'd need it. Guess that's today."

The metamorphmagus nodded and took another sip before carefully setting the glass down, wanting to not make an even bigger fool of herself by accidentally taking a heavier drink. That stuff would put hair even on her chest.

"What did happen?"

Tonks looked up at the question. She started to reach back for the tumbler, but decided to wait. "Everything has been horrible…."

"Everything?"

She blushed. "Well, not _every_ thing. But it's been hard. The library is so much bigger than I remember and we were having no luck finding what we needed. It was even me that made Harry talk to Hermione, to ask her for her help. She always was good at research."

Minerva nodded at the compliment to her favorite student, but quickly returned to what the Transfiguration professor was saying. "I just didn't realize how much I'd hate them spending so much time together… not that they were doing anything wrong. Harry was always business. They looked through books and discussed possibilities…"

She finally reached out and took another sip of her drink. "We've been apart so much… my teaching and him in classes… all classes that she is in. And her friends… the snide comments that they all say about me, always when I'm close enough to overhear but never when I can confront them."

"It's that bad?"

Nodding, Tonks took another gulp, the burning rush not so startling after a few sips. "The story of the cookies is out there now and most people sympathize with Hermione, which means I'm to blame for keeping Harry and Hermione apart." She snorted. "And those few that don't want them together still hate me because I'm with him."

Minerva finished off her drink and poured herself another, while topping off Tonks' which still had some left in it. "Go on."

The woman that currently was the target of so many sighed dramatically. "Today in class was just the final straw. I couldn't help it. One minute, I'm discussing NEWT's and the next, Hermioen is in Harry's lap. I just lost it…"

"His lap?" The headmistress paused from taking another sip.

She nodded. "Miss Brown set it up… one of the Patil twins, I can never get them straight, set loose a Jelly Leg hex just as Hermione was standing up… she fell and Harry caught her…"

Nut…"

Tonks interrupted her. "Then…" Minerva nodded. "Then I had to listen to Lavender whisper in a voice loud enough that it was heard on the Quidditch Pitch that 'they looked right together' and that she hoped 'he soon woke up.'"

"And you took it out on Harry?"

"No. I was after Lavender, but Hermione got between us. I didn't care… she was just as good a target as the other. Then Harry stepped in the way."

At this, Tonks set her glass down, almost all of the alcohol gone and began crying. Minerva stood and walked around her desk and put a comforting arm around the young woman. "I just don't know what to do… the fate of everything and all I can think of is running away."

McGonagall gasped. "Are you only staying with Harry because of his destiny?" Not waiting for a response, Minerva pressed her hard. "You are doing a much greater disservice to Mister Potter by staying if you don't…"

"No… No. You don't understand." Tonks blew her nose into the kerchief. "I think I'm in love with him… I am in love with him…"

"Love should make you happy…"

Tonks snorted again, her voice dark. "Happy? That's a fairy tale. Hermione is in love with Harry and she's miserable. I'm in love with Harry and I'm miserable. Hell… Ron and Luna are in love and they're both miserable. Where did you get the idea that love was happy?"

And who does Harry love?" Minerva asked quietly.

Reaching over for the bottle, Tonks waited until the older witch nodded before pouring herself another glass. She was well on her way to getting right pissed. After taking three large sips, she sighed as she leaned back into the chair where she was sitting. Minerva stayed leaning on the desk next to her in case Nymphadora needed a shoulder to cry on again.

"That's the question now, isn't it?" Tonks took another sip. "I want Harry to be happy… and we were, but now we're here and there's so much going on. No… I don't just want him to be happy. I want him to be happy and in love with me."

O X O X O X O X O X O

There was was usually something about reading a good book that helped calm her nerves. The smell of the pages and ink… the mustiness of the binding. A good book had the smell of leather, too. The aroma of knowledge just filling her up Even something as pointless as a romance novel… a spy thriller or the occasional fantasy bestseller. Just the fact that she could lose herself in a book helped stave off the miserable state of her world currently.

It wasn't working right now.

Realizing that she'd been reading the same page for nearly an hour, Hermione carefully marked her place with an old photograph of her and Harry during happier times. It had been her bookmark ever since Harry had first used it as one, pulling it out from his wallet and closing the book before kissing her one day in the library. No other bookmark would do, now. She'd thrown away a box full of them.

She tossed the book aside and leaned back on her bed. It had been over one month since starting her seventh year at Hogwarts and she still couldn't get over the idea of having a room to herself. She'd grown accustomed to the whispering and snoring of the other girls… their presence. Now, lying alone on a huge bed (much too big for just one) in a room that had her own desk, vanity and mirror, chest and access to a bathroom that she only had to share with one person… it should have been fabulous.

Everything had seemed to go fairly well for the first few days. Harry had been civil. No, they hadn't talked about anything, but for the moment (and per Lavender's advice), she was willing to wait. Harry had to set the pace for anything.

She'd teased him about his new look. He'd blushed for a moment, his eyes dancing like days now past, before grinning that he'd needed a change. Hermione had started to retort, but Harry had done something then that had shocked her to silence. He reached out and pulled at her shorter, hair… running the strait locks through his fingers. Changes all around, he'd laughed.

They'd had a meeting with Headmistress McGonagall that first night, each promising to respect the rules of the school and to not let personal matters interfere. Hermione had blushed then, but Harry had only nodded. Silence had been tense between them after the meeting… their footsteps echoing along the corridors… a silence that Hermione had been terrified would never be broken, but Gryffindor came to the rescue.

Seamus and Dean had decided a party was called for, as it was their last year. Hermione had been reluctant, but Harry had smiled and had voiced that it was a wonderful idea. He'd jumped into the fray and had even offered her a dance as the night had turned into morning.

Hermione smiled at seeing Harry so alive again. Lavender had just been happy to see her eat the next morning, her voice excited about being so near her love again… though they all told her to relax, that Harry wasn't hers again yet and that there was still a long way to go. Almost as if to punch their words home, Harry had chosen that moment to come into the Great Hall, Professor Tonks next to him laughing and smiling.

It had been a kick to her system, but Lavender and Ginny had been there as support, helping her to come to grips with the glances that Harry and Tonks seemed to share. It had been almost impossible, but she'd done it.

With a game plan slowly being formed, the next obstacle was Ron. She sighed as she remembered that Ron had taken the whole thing horribly, but in the end had agreed with everything that Hermione told him… both of them in the middle of a classroom with plenty of people all around to see that they weren't alone… not touching. Nothing.

No. Ron had agreed that if she wanted Harry that he would have to fade out for a while, for the two of them to not be so much around each other. Besides, he'd laughed at her nervousness, he wanted Luna and he'd known that things would have to be different for a while. Hermione had frowned when Lavender had smiled, telling her that things were going good. She wasn't with Harry and now she had alienated Ron so that she could try to get Harry back. How were things looking good?

"_Hermione?" Harry had approached her, his whole body screaming nervous, as he approached the library table where she was studying._

_Shaking her hair out of her eyes as she looked up, she could feel her pulse race at his approach. Instinctively, her gaze moved around in the hopes of finding Lavender or Ginny… even Susan at this point, someone that would offer her some support. They were nowhere to be found._

"_Yes, Harry?"_

_The love of her life smiled a bit more then, apparently satisfied that she wasn't going to yell at him for interrupting her. "I need your help with…"_

"_Homework?" She offered cheekily. Humour wasn't her strongest subject, but she knew that if she could act like his friend again, he'd open up some more. "Is Professor Ku'une too tough for you?"_

_He'd smirked, his demeanor relaxing further. "Oh yeah… it's so hard to figure out how to do a shield charm." She'd snorted. While the new DADA professor was at least competent, he still hadn't seemed to grasp how advanced his seventh year class was. _

"_What do you need then?" She was glad that she was already sitting, the shaking in her knees hidden by the table._

"_The library…" He'd spread his arms wide. "This place. I need to find out some things about… well…"_

"_Oh." She got it. The horocrux. He needed to find the last one, and he thought the information was here. "Okay. What do you want from me?"_

_He'd sat down then, his eyes suddenly lost as he looked at her. "I need to talk to you first… I need to know that we can work together."_

"_Of course we ca…"_

"_No." His voice had been a whisper. "I don't intend to break my promise. I need to let you in on some things."_

"_I know you and Tonks are together, Harry." That her voice had sounded so calm was a miracle from the heavens. "I don't like it, but I understand."_

_She'd shocked him. Harry had started to say something, but then thought better about it before looking down at the table between them, his finger tracing designs across the wood. At least he hadn't tried to deny it… much as she had prayed it not to be true. "As long as you understand that she and I are together… I mean, it was her idea that I talk to you."_

_Hermione had nodded, so glad for all of the coaching that Padma and Pavartia had provided. "I'm glad she did, Harry. I told you that I wanted to help… that I would never break your trust…" He'd become uncomfortable then, his eyes jumping up to hers as she finished what she'd been told to say if the opportunity ever arose. "I haven't purposefully ever broken that trust… and I won't, Harry. Tell me what you want me to do."_

_It had nearly broken her heart to see Harry then… the pain that crossed his face as she'd said those words, the dagger digging into his chest. _

_She watched as he licked his lips, his eyes looking at hers before he finally spoke. "It hurt too much, Hermione. I wanted to be stronger for you… but all I can see every time I see you is you and Ron together." She tried to interrupt, but he shook his head, his eyes pleading. "I will love you for the rest of my life… and I do not blame you… it's not fair to you or me that this happened, but I can't help it." _

_Harry had stood then. "It just hurts too much to love you so much that I can feel it inside, but when I see you I can only see that morning."_

_Hermione hadn't even known that she had started crying after he'd walked away, the hint of tears on his face. Hannah and Ernie had come to the table, loaded with books for Ancient Runes class… both of them dropping everything to ask her what was wrong._

_How could she tell them that everything was both wonderful and horrible all at once?_

The sound of the portrait outside in the living area that the Head Boy and Girl shared opening and closing brought her out of her thoughts. No one else knew the password for their suite, a promise that she'd extracted out of him when they'd first been shown their rooms. The last thing she needed was to know Harry and Tonks were in the next room… the idea that he'd agreed so readily because of a similar fear about her never crossed her mind.

Standing up quickly, she moved to the doorway and peeked out. Harry looked like he'd been through the wringer. She watched as he moved to the couch and plopped down on it, the strength of his legs just giving out. If this had been last year, she'd have run to him… caught him and held him. Now, she was stuck as she watched him stare into the flames of the small hearth of the Head living space… his mind lost to the fire.

Could she do what everyone encouraged her to do? Shaking her head, Hermione closed the door to her room and hid, her back pressed up against the hard wood.

Was she a Gryffindor or not?

Throwing everything to the wind, she turned and opened her door, striding out of her bedroom. Hermione watched as Harry glanced over at her, his face heavy with concern as she drew closer, standing almost directly in front of him.

"Are you okay?"

He laughed, though Hermione felt no warmth in it at all. "Not really…"

"Harry…"

"Why, Hermione?" He asked suddenly, his eyes catching the firelight and shining bright. "I know that none of this is fair to you… not to Ron… not even to me. I know that."

He took a breath. "Have I not been fair? Have either Dora or I flaunted anything in front of anybody? Merlin's beard! If I hadn't admitted to the relationship… would you have even believed it?"

She considered his words as he railed against her, not the response she had expected. Thinking back, she realized that even though Harry and Professor Tonks were close… they never acted like boyfriend and girlfriend. The shared looks and smiles, the laughter and quiet conversations… everything looked innocent.

Hermione looked at him. "No… I would have just thought it all some silly rumour."

"Why, then?" He stood, his body suddenly in front of her, the anger washing off of him in waves that made it almost to difficult to breathe. "Why is everyone tormenting her?"

"It's not like…"

"Not like what?" He moved away from her then, his arms gesticulating wildly. "So I'm imagining all of the cruel comments? All of the backbiting and Slytherin tactics?" Hermione started to answer, tears threatening again as he turned away from her. "It took Draco to finally spot it for me… that us not being together forced everyone to choose and they chose you."

"Harry… No!"

"No? No?" He laughed again, something dark and painful. "And who has been on my side? On mine and Tonks' side? Hmm?"

Hermione fell silent. What could she say? He was right.

"You know…" Harry looked back at her. I'm fighting with Tonks. We just had our first major fight in front of the entire seventh year class… and I was protecting you and all of your friends that have picked on her and made her cry… I stood up to her because what she was doing at that moment was wrong. She can't hex students… so I had to stop her"

Hermione couldn't look at him. Harry didn't seem to care. "I know you still have my mother's ring…"

She gasped at the thought of him taking it away… of giving it to Tonks. She could feel her heart beating through her chest, the pain of it making her want to cry aloud… to beg. Twisting her fingers together in front of her, Hermione felt like a little girl caught by her parents. "D-do you want… want i-it back?"

The silence of the room made her look back up. Harry was staring at her with a look that seemed to both break her heart and fill her back up all at once. It was love… but in that look Hermione saw all of the dangers, the hurt and the pain that true love could offer.

"No." He sighed. "The ring is your burden. I can't… can't ask for it back. You can give it back, but I won't ever be able to take it back."

She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Harry… sorry for everything…"

"Tell everyone to lay off of Tonks, Hermione." He moved over to his own bedroom door.

"I am sorry."

He nodded. "I know… just ask everyone to back off. If she still has a job in the morning, maybe we can try all of this again."

As the door closed behind him, Hermione sank down on the couch in the same spot that Harry had occupied when she first came out here. Why was she listening to Lavender? In fifth year, it had been her listening to everyone else that had kept her and Harry apart to almost the end of the school year.

"I just don't know what to do…" Moaning softly to herself, Hermione curled up on the couch and fell asleep… dreams of Harry filling her head.

The next morning… a Saturday, thankfully, since she didn't wake up until nearly eleven in the morning, he was gone Sitting up, she stretched… there needed to be a new plan if she was going to regain Harry's trust. Shaking herself, Hermione wondered if the house elves would be willing to bring her a snack when she started in surprise. Sometime between falling asleep and waking, someone had covered her with her favorite blanket from home.

Maybe the trick was to not do anything at all…


	14. Like Wildfire

A/N: I love my reviews. Harry and Tonks. Harry and Hermione. Tonks! Hermione! Die! Kill! Murder! Wow… I love all of you guys.

More on the cookies will be coming soon.

Hope you like this one…

O X O X O X O X O X O

LIKE WILDFIRE

"Jay!" Hannah called out after the new transfer student. "Wait up, will you…" Ignoring the looks from some of the other students filing out of Transfiguration, the blonde girl shoved her way through he mass of bodies in the hallway and reached her destination, quickly falling into step with the taller young man.

Dark eyes, almost black, stared at her from the corner of his eye. He hadn't slowed down, but neither had he made any real attempt at escaping the pretty girl that had refused to leave him alone since arriving at Hogwarts.

"Abbott." Was all he said by way of greeting.

If she was offended, Hannah didn't show it, her eyes sparkling that he'd at least acknowledged her presence. "Why are you in such a hurry? I just wanted to walk you to lunch."

He shrugged, his whole demeanor of not caring at her purpose. "Weren't you at the other end of the castle? Care of Magical Creatures or something?"

She beamed. "Wow. You know my schedule?"

Closing his eyes, Jay sighed as he picked up his pace. "That's where the seventh year Hufflepuff classes were… and you being in both, it made sense for you to be with the rest."

"Of course." She answered quickly, ignoring the coldness in his voice. "Very practical of you. But you didn't answer me… was Professor Tonks giving you a hard time?"

He laughed at the question, ignoring the curious looks of some of the other students that also seemed to be aimed at the Great Hall. "No. She doesn't give me any problems… other than the fact that she's teaching here at all."

"Oh? You think she's too young to be a professor?"

He nodded. "Probably got here since she's involved with that Harry Potter boy."

Hannah smiled a small smile, her lips barely turned upwards. "I think she's quite brilliant… and to change shapes like that. Seems like it would be a lot of fun."

Rolling his eyes, Jay continued on. "I'm sure Potter thinks so."

Jay kept walking when he suddenly realized that Hannah had fallen behind. Unsure as to what he was doing, he stopped to look back and see that the Abbott girl had stopped walking, her face in an exclamation of surprise.

"What?" He asked, suddenly aware that he was actually concerned about what the annoying girl was thinking.

She tilted her head as she quietly drew closer. "Do you think that she looks like other people when she's having sex?"

Jay started to answer, when a gaggle of younger girls that had apparently been eavesdropping suddenly broke out in quiet whispers. Scowling over at them, he was rewarded when they noticed his watching and suddenly ran the other way.

Sighing, he turned and made his way closer to where lunch was served. Hannah was keeping in time with him again. "I am sure that I do not know… not do I want to." He lied.

The blonde girl kept her brown eyes at the floor as she contemplated the new thought, her mind a whirl at having not considered such a trivial fact before. "I wonder if I should tell Lavender…"

"Lavender Brown?" Jay asked. He suddenly grinned, the look making him look darker than his features normally did. "Yeah… you probably should."

Hannah just nodded thoughtfully as they entered the throngs of people all scurrying into the large room, the aromas of lunch filling their nostrils. "I've got to go." She said suddenly.

He watched as she moved from next to him and walked over to the Gryffindor table, her steps becoming hesitant as she drew closer to the small redhead who was talking animatedly Brown and some of her other classmates… Granger nowhere in the immediate vicinity.

"This should be fun." He laughed quietly to himself as he moved over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down.

O X O X O X O X O X O

It had been well over forty-eight hours since she'd drunk from that damnable bottle of blue death in the headmistress' office and she still had a headache. Stretching her arms above her head, she leaned back until she heard the telltale sound of her vertebra popping.

Blinking rapidly to focus her eyes again, Tonks picked up the quill on he desk and started looking through the second year transfiguration papers that had been turned in this morning. Chewing at her upper lip, she dipped the eagle feather into the bottle of red ink as she began scribbling notes along the margins of the parchment, notes and questions for the students to read after she'd finished grading.

A creak of wood sounded from the front of the empty classroom. She didn't even pause in her work, trying to keep whoever was attempting to sneak up on her in the dark about her having realized that she was no longer alone in the room. Footsteps, soft but still there, came from her left. As she faked another yawn, her eyes darted towards the shadows along the sidewall… the flickering lights from the torches only making it harder to determine if anyone was there… maybe there wasn't anything there.

As Tonks moved her face back down to the papers on her desk, the flicker of a shadow caught the corner of her vision…. Someone invisible? Maybe Harry…

She immediately dismissed the idea. Harry would never try to sneak up on her. Sneak _in_ to see her, yes. Surprise her? No.

Her heart suddenly racing, the addition of a heavy dose of adrenalin into her bloodstream, she had to mentally hold herself in check as she waited. At the barest breath of touch across her shoulder, she moved, her body shifting as Tonks reached out and felt a hand, invisible, under her own grasp. Moving as only a professionally trained auror could, she slung around, never losing a hold of the mystery assailant and pivoted their arm behind their back.

She was rewarded by a grunt. Tonks, emboldened by her success so far, twisted the arm further behind their back as her other reached out and twisted the invisibility cloak from beneath her… the next action she would take would be to knock them out and ask questions later As the person came into view, Tonks felt the air leave her lungs as she considered the implications, her hand stopping at the last second from causing injury.

"Wait! Stop!"

Tonks could only stare, time seemed frozen. "Hermione?"

Nodding, her lover's ex-girlfriend closed her eyes as she attempted a smile. "I come in peace."

"Huh?"

"Can you let me go?"

Tonks blushed as she released the arm grip that held Hermione in place. Once released, Hermione brought her arm up and started rubbing it, her own features pink with embarrassment.

Tonks sighed as she folded the invisibility cloak and set it on the corner of her desk. "What were you thinking, sneaking up on me like that?"

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean…" Hermione stuttered. "I wanted to talk to you, but I wasn't sure if you would… and I thought if…"

"Right. And scaring me is going to make everything better." The professor retorted sarcastically.

"No… you're right. I'm sorry." At the apology, the Head Girl seemed to wilt in on herself. "I seem to be apologizing for a lot lately."

Tonks wondered if she was up to this. She knew about the conversation, if you could call it that, when Harry had yelled at her. He'd come to her room the next morning… interrupting her hangover completely, wanting to talk. She had just known that it was over… that Harry had decided that it was Hermione that he wanted, the whole "let's be friends" speech already with her name on it.

But Harry Potter was full of surprises. He'd apologized… begged, really… for her forgiveness, admitting that everyone had been giving her a hard time, and that he'd not known how to handle it.

Tonks had tried giving him the cold shoulder, the hangover the only thing helping to make it look real, but those green eyes had torn through her soul, baring her wide open to him. She'd kissed him, ignoring the rules about students and teachers fraternizing… especially in the professors' wing of the castle. And after such an ass chewing from McGonagall as she'd had last night, alcohol or no.

She'd braved being fired. Harry, between rounds of kissing her and pulling back as her clothes peeled away along with his, had laughed, promising to tell the headmistress everything if they needed an out at getting caught. That had been good enough for Tonks. The rest of the day had been wasted in bed… though she definitely wouldn't consider anything done with Harry a waste.

She sighed as she looked at Hermione. "How did you get the cloak?"

"I took it from his room. He's out practicing Quidditch right now."

Tonks had nodded. That was to be expected. She always knew where Harry was. "You do understand that stealing… even borrowing, "She added as Hermione opened her mouth. "Could be very problematic for someone in your position… and to steal it to sneak up on a professor."

"I know, but I needed to see you." She pleaded.

In for a knut, in for a galleon. "Okay. Talk." Tonks sat in her seat, the papers she was grading moved to the corner of the desk.

Hermione was suddenly very shy. She hadn't thought her plan through, and yet here she was… sitting before a professor… one that was dating her ex-boyfriend. How did it ever come to this? Oh. Right. Cookies.

Sitting at the desk directly in front of the professor's desk, Hermione took a breath. "I want to talk about Harry."

Tonks nodded. "Well… it was either that or transfiguration, and you're the best in the class… so unless you wanted my job early, I figured as much." She took a breath herself. "So. What do you want?"

Hermione licked at her lips. "Harry." At the uncomprehending look on Tonks' face, she leaned forward on the desk. "I want Harry."

"Oh." Tonks smiled weakly. "Well. I'm glad that's out of the way. No." She shook her head. "You can't have him. Anything else?"

"I'm not asking you for him. I'm telling you that I want him."

The metamorphmagus arched an eyebrow, as she ran her hand through her pink hair. "And you think its news to me that you want him? Please, Hermione. You're smarter than that. Of course you want him. Everyone wants him for one reason or another. I fully expect to be at the top of every shite list that _Witch Weekly_ can put me on next month… too many people at Hogwarts suspect what's going on with me and Harry. It'll be everywhere before the holidays."

"That's not…"

Tonks waved her off. "I fully expect it. I'm older. A professor. An ex-auror. A rebound. They'll all say something… it doesn't matter. I had my little doubting fit… it's over. I've got Harry now and I'm not going to lose him."

"Tonks… we were friends last year, right?" She waited until the older witch finally nodded. "And you understand what happened at the Burrow."

"I've heard about all of Ginny's findings, if that's what you mean."

"How can you do this?" Hermione asked, her eyes bright. "You saw how happy we were… how happy I made him."

"Made him. Past tense." Tonks stood from behind her desk and started pacing. "I'd love nothing more than to give you what you want, Hermione… I'd love for everyone to be happy. But therein likes the problem. Harry's happy with me. I can't say that he'll ever be happy with you again… and more to the point, I'll be miserable without Harry."

"You love him." It wasn't a question.

Tonks nodded solemnly to the younger witch. "With all of my being. Its hard not to fall for him when he lets you in."

Hermione felt the tears fall down her face. "I can't believe you…"

She shrugged. "In truth, Hermione… I never thought he would… Harry probably never would have opened up to me, but you nearly destroyed him…"

"Not me!" Hermione shouted.

Tonks was the calm before the coming rainstorm. "I know. It wasn't your fault. I got that." She sighed. "And I even expected Harry to run back to you when he got confirmation from Luna that you were spelled."

"Why didn't he?" Hermione whispered.

Moving in front of the desk near where Hermione sat, Tonks leaned against the desks corner, her arms crossed over her chest. "I'd love to say because of me, but I think that would be a lie… no matter how much I wish otherwise. No, I think that Harry just decided that he couldn't go back. Not even if that was what he wanted. Too mcuh changed... when perfection is lost, it can't be gotten back."

Tonks smiled. "He loves you, Hermione. He loves you in a way that I hope he will one day love me. I want to be the center of his universe… and that means that you can't be that anymore."

"I'll fight you." Hermione stated. No boast. No threat. Just a simple statement.

Nymphadora met her gaze, neither flinching. "I fully expected you to. I know that I'll fight you with everything that I have to make sure he stays mine."

Hermione nodded as she rose. "I wish we could still be friends."

Tonks was glad that there was regret in the younger woman's voice. "Me, too."

She watched as Hermione turned and moved toward the door to leave. The battle lines had been drawn… there was nothing left but for the war to begin. As she put her hand on the door's handle, she paused and looked back at Tonks. "I won't let this interfere with helping Harry beat him."

"Good. Harry needs to win. He has to."

Hermione smiled weakly. "Just so you know… There's a new rumour about you going around. It didn't come from me or anyone I know, but you should be aware of it… Harry might get upset and I want you to tell him I didn't have anything to do with it. I don't know how it started, but Ginny says it came from the Ravenclaws."

Tonks took a deep breath and nodded. "What is it?"

Her face became hard even though she was trying to smile. "You transform to look like others when you and Harry shag."

Shag. Not make love. She make sit sound so… dirty. "Really?" Tonks arched an eyebrow. "Is that it?"

Hermione opened the door. "No. Everyone is saying that he wants you to look like me when y-you… when you have sex with him. An imitation of me."

Tonks waited until the door closed before she let her own tears begin to fall.

O X O X O X O X O X O

"What?" Jay laughed. "You don't think I had anything to do with it, do you?"

Harry grimaced as he paced in front of the dark-haired Ravenclaw. It hadn't taken long for the newest tidbit of gossip to run through whole school like flames through dried grass. In fact, at the rate that most people jumped at the latest rumour, especially whenever it had anything to do with him, Harry was amazed that it had taken until after dinner to hear about it. Blaise and Theo laughing about it in the hallway.

At least I now know why Tonks skipped the evening meal in the Great Hall, he mentally screamed.

Quidditch practice had been hard enough… the first Gryffindor game of the year next weekend and Harry still not on the best terms with most of the Lions, and not at all with Ron, the team's captain. No, things were definitely harder than he'd expected.

As soon as he'd figured out what was going on, Harry had signaled for Luna to meet him somewhere quiet. She'd wasted no time in telling him that a rumour had started around lunchtime when Hannah Abbott had approached the Gryffindor table with the latest guess at how the newest Hogwarts professor had landed The-Boy-Who-Lived. Harry had seen how Hannah had attached herself to Jay. It was simple deduction that led him to confronting Jay in the library.

"You know I do." Harry had spat. "Why are you doing this?"

Jay had grinned. "Just keeping you on your toes, Potter. Just because we work together doesn't make us mates."

"Don't make me regret helping you, Malfoy."

Jay Flemming… Draco Malfoy in disguise, swiveled his head around the empty room, his eyes wide. "Don't say that. Not here. Not in Hogwarts."

Harry had smiled then, his green eyes blazing. "Then let's not start talking about things we shouldn't. Got it?"

Jay/Draco nodded, his own eyes furious. "Fine. And while we're on the subject, why are we wasting time with you playing Head Boy and Quidditch god when we could be using the time to look through the library?"

He sighed, his hands running over his face. "Just drop it, okay."

Harry looked around the library again to make sure no one was close by. "Hermione thinks she may have found something… there was a jewel… maybe a quartz or something. Legends tell of Ravenclaw having found it when they were laying the foundation for Hogwarts. She kewpt it with her at all times."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He refused to look at the other young man. "And I remember Dumbledore having a lot of large stones in his office… but they all vanished after my fifth year."

"Fifth year?" Jay/Draco looked thoughtful "How do you remember that?"

Harry blushed. "I destroyed Dumbledore's office with magic after Sirius… after he went through the veil."

That he didn't laugh was remarkable. The dark-haired boy only nodded. "If it was what we're searching for, it wouldn't have broken… maybe that's not it."

"Maybe. But I need to know for sure."

"Are you going to talk to McGonagall?"

"I am." Harry paused. "But there's a good chance she's going to want answers to some questions."

"Then tell her. Let their silly Bird Order in on it. If it's there. Then this quest will be over and things can move on to what is needing to be done."

Harry hated agreeing with Malfoy. "I want to talk to Tonks first."

"Talk. Right." Jay/Draco smirked. "Just try not to… talk to long. The faster this is done, the faster we can part ways."

Harry agreed silently. As they started to leave the library, Harry turned to the newest Ravenclaw and former Slytherin. "And what's between you and Hannah Abbott?"

"Nothing. Just drop it."

Okay." Harry smiled inwardly. "I'll stay out of your business and you stay out of mine."

Jay/Draco sneered, a look that almost betrayed the disguise. "Get on with what we're here to do and I won't be so bored as to mess with your life… or the lives of innocent little Hufflepuffs."

As the other boy walked off, Harry watched him go before he moved on to look for Tonks.

"Don't push it too far, Draco." He whispered silently to himself. "One day, you're going to learn what it's actually like to piss me off."


	15. In The Past

IN THE PAST

A little over one year ago…

"Pay up." Ginny Weasley held out her hand, palm up. Fred and George looked at their sister, the horror of being completely run over by their youngest sibling… and a girl at that. They would have been proud but for the fact that she had just bamboozled them for over one hundred galleons… each.

"Now, Gin…" Fred smiled, his teeth almost twinkling like Lockhart's photograph on the jacket cover of his books. "You know we're good for it… the shoppe is picking up and busy… the back to Hogwarts rush is about to hit…"

George nodded. "And we need to invest everything we've got into extra supplies. Two hundred is a lot to be down before we've placed any orders."

The small redhead frowned, her eyes flashing dangerously. "And that's my problem _how_ exactly? I can't help it that neither one of you knows how to gamble successfully. You'd think you'd have learned by now... or, at least, never to bet against me."

"Ginny…" The both pleaded.

"No. Money. Now." She stomped her foot. "Fifth year is coming up and I'd like to have some galleons in my pocket this year."

George walked around behind the counter while Fred threw his hands up in the air, frustration clearly painted on his face as he headed to the back room towards where their safe was concealed under the icebox.

"How about double or nothing?" Fred ventured, his eyes hopeful.

Ginny laughed, her voice hard. "Double? You can't even pay me the two hundred you owe me now. I'd put you out of business at this rate… and I don't fancy your shoppe. Jokes and pranks are your dream, not mine."

"No…" George's voice called from the back room. "You dream involves stealing a very attached young man with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead."

"Already dating your best friend, we might add." Fred wiggled his eyebrows.

She gritted her teeth while her brothers teased her about Harry Potter. "You can both shut up if you know what's good for you. Me and Harry are not your business…"

"But Harry is our business,"

"Dearest sister." George finished as he walked back into view, a heavy moneybag in his hands. "After all, he is a partner in this 'not your dream' store, as you like to call it."

Fred sighed dramatically. "And we have to think of Harry's welfare… can't let him get mixed up with the wrong sort."

"The type that wouldn't be good for his investment."

She rolled her eyes, her brothers trying once again to out logic her… failing miserably. "Right. Like I couldn't win points with him by telling him how you two keep losing all of the store's profits by gambling."

Ginny smiled in satisfaction at the stricken looks on both of their faces. "So… how about you just give me my money and we'll not say anything to anybody? Deal?"

"No way you're going to give us a chance to win our money back, is there?" Fred asked.

George leaned on the counter, the mischief almost thick enough to touch in his eyes. "Nothing that we, your loving and helpful brothers, could do for you?"

"Anything at all?" Fred added.

"If you're trying to get me to have you two morons help me break Hermione and Harry up, you're both crazy. Harry can go and do his little dating thing with her… he needs to get past the best friend/girlfriend phase." She smiled. "I had to get some of that out of the way myself… Michael and Dean… Neville. They were all great. Nice. But Harry is destined to be mine. No one ever stays with the first person they date… and when they fall apart, I can be there to help him back up."

George's eyebrows vanished into his hairline. "First relationship? Aren't you forgetting Cho?"

Ginny's laugh rocked both of them on their heels. "Cho? That wasn't a girlfriend… that was a mistake. A failed first try. Everyone but Harry and Cho could see that from a mile away."

Fred and George looked at one another. Ginny just smiled at the confused looks on their faces. "Harry and Hermione aren't even all that serious…"

"Not serious?" Fred barked. "Have you seen the two of them together?"

The youngest Weasley and first daughter in over six centuries rolled her eyes. "One of the benefits of being Hermione's first female friend… she confides everything in me. I know that they've decided not to… well, you know."

"You mean?" George asked. Fred looked flabbergasted.

"Yep. Harry is saving himself. Even subconsciously, he knows Hermione isn't the one for him. They'll kiss, they'll hold hands… and then one day they'll fight and they'll break up."

"And then you'll swoop in?" Fred's voice dripped with sarcasm, but Ginny ignored it as she reached over and picked up the bag of galleons from where it was sitting on the counter. The twins looked devastated. Not her problem.

"Absolutely."

George narrowed his eyes. "You seem quite confident."

"And how will Hermione take that? You picking up the pieces and all…"

She shrugged. "Hermione knows how I feel about him… there's never been any secret that I liked him."

Fred nodded slowly. "I remember you tried setting her up with Ron in their fourth year… but that won't work now. Mum was talking about how he and Loony were exchanging owls over the summer…"

"I don't need Ron to distract Hermione. Harry will break up with her all on his own. You'll see."

"Wanna bet?" George asked.

She smiled as she hid the moneybag under her cloak. "I'd bet my two hundred galleons on it."

"Deal." Fred said suddenly.

"What?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide. What just happened? "What deal?"

George shrugged. "Take good care of our money, sister dear."

"Because we're sure that you've just handed us our money back." Fred finished.

Ginny laughed (though not nearly as confident as she tried to appear) as she left the shoppe. "Right. You guys keep thinking that. I think another two hundred galleons will be perfect for when Harry and I want to go somewhere special once we're dating."

O X O X O X O X O X O

Just under six months ago…

Arthur Weasley smiled indulgently towards two of his sons. He knew how hard it was to admit failure, especially to one's own family. It showed true character that they had chosen to approach him as men, rather than trying to lie and hide at how much trouble they were in. Leaning back, he settled comfortable in the old desk chair his father had left him after he died. His family never had had much in the way of galleons, but there had never been a shortage in love.

Each of the twins, mirror images of one another, sat across from him. Their hats were in their hands, as the old saying went. No once could have expected that the attack on Hogwarts and the papers all talking about You-Know-Who's return, not to mention the death of Albus Dumbledore just a month past.

"How much?" He asked, trying to keep his voice kind.

He watched as they looked at one another, neither wanting to say anything first. He just waited. It was Fred that finally lost the telepathic argument they always seemed to have… the bond of being a twin. Arthur watched as the elder by two minutes opened his mouth. "A little over four hundred galleons…"

He whistled. That was a lot of money. "And how did it get this bad?"

Emboldened by his brother, George took over. "We tried to cut a few corners… contracted out some of the labour… the stuff didn't sell well…"

"At all." Fred piped in. George only nodded.

"Not at all. Poor quality… but we'd paid in advance. The company up and vanished by the time we tried to get some of our money back. We for suckered…"

Arthur nodded. "How much can tide you over?"

Fred looked at his brother. George sighed. "Well… we could close up the shoppe and call it quits… but we'd still owe the four or so."

"Or," His brother took over. "We could pay off a bit with around one fifty or so… hold 'em off. I think we can start breaking back even after the school rush…"

"Just like last year."

Both of them nodded, their eyes desperate. Arthur sighed. "Your mother and I have saved some money for each of you… a nest egg, I guess you could call it. Something to give to each of you once you left home to make your own way in the world. Maybe start a family. Bill took his and used it to set up a home when he first started at Gringott's. Charlie used it to make his way to Romania.

"There is a little bit for each of you… not much… but it's yours, to do with as you will." At the grateful looks of his sons, Arthur shook his head. "I'll have to talk it over with your mother… you know she won't be happy, but it takes both our names to get it out… a safety precaution whenever one of us was weak."

"How much?" Fred asked.

Their father grimaced. "If you'd waited until after school, maybe more… but right now, it's about sixty galleons each."

"One twenty… both together."

"Right." Arthur Weasley agreed. "And I think I could invest a little extra to you… not much, but we can up it some."

"We'll pay you back, Dad…"

"Honest, we will."

He smiled at his sons. "No. This isn't a loan. This is what family does for one another… but boys…"

They stopped and looked at him.

"This is it. Your mother and I can't do more… there's still Ron and Ginny… and Ginny's will need to be much more, as any wedding she might have will be our responsibility."

"Okay, Dad." They both said at the same time. He smiled at his two sons.

"Now… lets go downstairs and talk to your mother…"

O X O X O X O X O X O

Just under two months ago…

"You know it's her fault…" George muttered under his breath, the bottle of butter beer slipping from his fingers and landing on the floor… nothing spilling as it was empty. It matched all of the other empty bottles that were scattered across the second floor.

Fred sighed as he ignored his brother's drunkenness. "I know… but we're okay… not millionaires like we'd planned, but we still have the shoppe… and we're making enough of a profit that we can even look like we haven't wasted everything on a fantasy."

"We needed those galleons…"

"Well, we lost them. That's why we don't gamble anymore, brother o' mine. We can't afford to lose."

George leaned down, his hands running along his unshaven chin. "But there's still the other bet… the double or nothing bet. We could lose everything."

He hated that his brother was right, but their sister would demand her money… and things were looking even more in her favor. Harry and Hermione had been together for nearly two years… moving on to their seventh year in school, and still no break in their armour. "Well…. what do we do about it? Force them to shag."

His brother lifted his face from his hands as they shared a look. "We could use one of the love potions…"

"No. That was a joke." Fred couldn't believe what his brother was suggesting. "Absolutely not. No way."

"But how are we hurting anything?" George pleaded, his eyes suddenly more alive then they'd been in months. "They're young. They're in love. We're just two modern day cupids…"

He shook his head. "No, George. No way."

"We could lose the shoppe… lose everything. We'd have to go home on our hands and knees. Desk jobs at the Ministry… nine to five, Fred. Do you want nine to five? Or face Dad again?"

George watched as his brother stood from the table, his face set. "I said no. I am not going to be a part of this. We're talking about Harry, George. Remember Harry? He's the boy who gave us our start up money… the boy that is a brother to our brother… a brother to you and me. The guy who saved Ginny from the Chamber. He saved Dad.

"I won't do it. No."

George nodded silently. "Then we're lost. Doomed."

Fred walked to the doorway. "I love my sister. She can be a right pain in the arse sometimes, but I'd do anything for her… and she could be right, you know. She could be meant to end up with Harry. Would you deny her that? Just for a shoppe of jokes and novelty items?"

In the dark, suddenly alone, George nodded.

O X O X O X O X O X O

The day before our story began…

The small redhead rolled her eyes as Hermione looked out the window again, her eyes scanning the back yard. There was still no sign of Harry anywhere. Idly glancing at her watch since the grandfather clock in the hallway didn't actually tell the time, Ginny could see that it was after four in the afternoon. Harry was nearly five hours late.

"If anything was wrong, the Order would have contacted us, dearie." Molly Weasley smiled at the young woman that was like a second daughter to her. "Harry is quite able to take care of himself."

Hermione absently nodded, her eyes never leaving the window. Molly nudged her daughter. Ginny scowled for a second before she caught on to what her Mum wanted.

"Hey, Herm…" At the hated nickname, her best girl friend turned and looked at her. "How about you help me set the table?"

"Sure." She responded despondedly, her eyes still worried.

"And relax… you'll just make Harry upset if he comes in and finds you all tense…" Ginny giggled. "He'll have to spend half the day trying to loosen you up before you and he can snog."

That did the trick as Hermione smiled, her eyes lightening. "Ginny!"

Hermione shot a glance at Molly, her face flushing, but the older woman was pretending to ignore what the two youngsters were saying… she remembered what it was like to be young and in love.

"Not in front of your mother!"

Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Eww. Not the mental picture I needed. You and Harry cuddled up on the couch while Mum and Dad tell you what you're doing wrong…"

Molly Weasley chose that time to interject a pearl of wisdom, her face pulled back in a mischievous smile as she set he meatloaf in the oven to cook. "Not watch… might be too distracting… but your father and I might be able to offer advice beforehand, though…"

"Mum!" Ginny's face was as red as her hair. A quick glance showed her that Hermione wasn't too far behind, the heat radiating from both of their faces nearly enough to light up the kitchen.

"Why don't the two of you finish setting up for dinner and then go wash up."

Both girls nodded silently, the work getting done faster than it ever had before… they raced from the room as soon as they were finished. Ginny and Hermione broke into a fit of giggles as they reached the top of the stairs, gasping for breath.

"What's so funny?" One of the twins asked, his eyebrow quirked. "I'd love to be in on the joke."

Hermione just shook her head, her face starting to turn red again as Ginny was bent over, the act of inhaling air becoming a problem as she started crying from laughing so hard. Both were too busy to see that George moved quietly from upstairs to join his brother. They both looked at the girls.

"Do we get to know the joke?"

Finally, after a few minutes, both Hermione and Ginny shook their head in the negative. The twins, disgusted to having waited for several minutes to hear what was so funny, threw their hands in the air and started to storm off towards the stairs.

"F-Fred…" Hermione called after them. "George… We're sorry... really… come back." Neither gave so much as a passing glance towards either of them.

"They'll be okay…" Ginny wiped at the tears on her cheeks. "Its good for them to be on the receiving end once in a while."

Hermione shivered. "If you're sure…"

O X O X O X O X O X O

"He's still not here?" Ron peaked his head in the door.

Hermione shook her head. "Is Luna gone to bed?"

Ron grinned a goofy smile that forced Hermione to smile along with him. "Yeah. She was sleepy… plus I think she's excited about tomorrow. The big day… Harry telling everyone about Dumbledore's tasks for us."

She chewed at her fingernails, a disgusting habit she'd picked up recently. "Do you think we did the right thing… convincing Harry to let the Order in on everything?"

Her best friend sat down on the bed, his eyes thoughtful. "I think so." He sighed as he looked over at the small table in the corner and spied a plate of cookies and a pitcher of milk. Huh? Mum most have left those for Harry if he came in late tonight. "Truth be told… I'm worried a bit."

"Worried?"

"Yeah… things are going to okay, you know." At her look, he shook his head. "Things are usually happening… but the summer's been quiet… and now Harry's done with his awful family and on the way here. I keep expecting something to happen."

Hermione nodded. "I'll feel better once Harry is here. Do you know where he is?"

Ron shook his head, hating that he had to lie to her. She was so worried, but Harry had made him swear before he confided in him before the summer break that he was going to give Hermione a promise ring… something special. "Nah… but I'm sure he's fine…"

"I just hate sitting here not knowing anything. Even when he was at the Dursley's, I at least knew where he was." She took a breath. "Maybe I should call Lupin and Tonks… they'll find him for me if I ask."

Looking to distract her, Ron stood up and went over to grab the cookies and milk. "Hey… look, we can have some cookies and milk and stay up and talk until either Harry shows up or we fall asleep."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione frowned. "You mum left those for Harry…"

Ron grinned as he took a bite of a cookie. Man! These are fabulous. "Hey… you snooze, you lose. Right? You gotta try one of these…"

Hermione smiled at Ron's constant eating. She reached over and grabbed one, bringing it to her mouth. "Maybe just one…"


	16. All I Can Say

A/N: Whew… I've posted a lot of chapters in the past few days. I think I'm going to post only one more… maybe two … depending on the number of reviews. More reviews means more chapters.

So… I think we can all safely say that this has definitely turned into a Tonks/Harry vs. Harry/Hermione fanfic. Originally, I thought to include some other possibilities… Ginny and Harry, for instance… but the story just wouldn't allow it to come. It took on a life of its own.

I want to say thank you to everyone that has reviewed. I'm enjoying seeing everyone's ideas of where this fic should go, plus all of the constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Hopefully, I can take all of your suggestions and use them to get better.

Thanks… and see you soon…

O X O X O X O X O X O

ALL I CAN SAY

A pin could have fallen and everyone assembled into the room would have heard it like a gong sounding off… it was that quiet. No one seemed to want to break the effect, each lost in their own thoughts considering the enormity of what had just been revealed… everyone was struck stupid. Everyone, that was, except for the youngest people in the room.

The wizard sitting nearest the door opened his mouth several times, the desire to ask a question… to say anything… it was there, but nothing would come out. Instead, he hung his head and brushed back some of his prematurely graying hair from his face, his eyes suddenly more tired than they'd ever seemed before… and for Remus Lupin, that was saying a lot.

Movement from across the room drew many of the Order's attention, Headmistress McGonagall standing there, her mouth open and a look of having just been slapped across her bum on her features. At present, she was the only one still standing… Harry Potter, the young man who had effectively knocked everyone senseless, had sat back down and was sharing a look with Professor Tonks, who was currently rubbing her hand across his back in a show of comfort.

"Hermione?" Bill Weasley broke the silence of the room, his voice drawing everyone's attention over to where he was currently resting against the back wall. At her look, he smiled. "Just what exactly are we supposed to be looking for?"

Elphias Doge nodded, his raspy voice following immediately after. "Too true. Saying we need to find a large rock or jewel seems a bit…"

"Vague?" Mad-Eye Moody completed.

Kingsley Shacklebolt sighed from his seat directly across from where Harry had sat down. "Ridiculous."

"What!" Ron Weasley suddenly shouted at the larger wizard, his eyes alive. "Like you would have a clue as to what's really going on with You-Know-Who!"

His mother, Molly, looked scandalized. "Ronald Bilius! How dare you…"

The youngest Weasley male shook his head at his mother, his jaw set. "Harry was right… you know that?" The whole room started watching him. "He didn't want to tell any of you… we convinced him months ago. He gave in, but seeing you all react like this? Just proves him right."

"Mister Weasley…" Minerva tried to cut the young man off, but he continued shaking his head. "Professor Dumbledore chose Harry for this… Harry to save us all. And you know what? He's doing it. There were six of them to find. Six!" The room flinched as a whole. "Five are gone… and now that he asks for your help in find one… ONE… you act like this?"

"Son." Arthur walked up to him, gently resting his hand on Ron's shoulder,

Minerva McGonagall glared at Kingsley, who catching her gaze ducked his head and nodded. Sighing, he stood them. "I apologize. I was not referring to Mister Potter as being ridiculous, but rather the task of finding a needle in such a large haystack."

"It's actually not that bad…" Hermione offered weakly. Once she had their attention, she brushed her hair away from her face and looked at some of parchments sitting in her lap. "Going on the hypothesis put forth that it is something that was once possessed by Rowena Ravenclaw and then later passed down to Albus Dumbledore… a family history, wills… last testaments. We should be able to find some record."

"And there are plenty of people here that had been in Albus' office that could be researched in a pensive." Lupin offered from his corner.

The room began to break out in individual conversations, everyone breaking off and clustering into small gatherings. Tonks and Harry watched it all, his eyes darting about the Room of Requirement, the newest meeting place for the Order. A voice from his left pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Is this why you wanted access to his things?"

Harry looked up and nodded to the headmistress. "Yes, ma'am. Tonks and… and other people helping me suggested that Tom might want to, well, slap at Dumbledore by using something of his. I wasn't sure even really where to begin, but once Hermione got brought back into things… research and all, it was really just a matter of time."

At hearing her name, Hermione smiled brightly and drew closer to join the conversation. Harry only passingly noted that while both Tonks and Hermione were civil to one another, something between the two had changed… and not necessarily for the better. To drive the point home, Tonks intertwined her fingers with his and gave his hand a tight squeeze.

"Can I cut in?" Hermione's words were polite, but Tonks' eyes flared at the possible double-meaning.

Harry shot a quick smile towards Tonks before his attention turned to his former girlfriend. "Sure. Professor McGonagall was just asking about where we should start looking…"

"Yes. Quite." The headmistress nodded. "Most of Albus' personal effects were left to the school. Awards and memorabilia from his lifetime. Books were to be added to the library…" Hermione's eyes flashed. "But nothing has been moved since you asked to be able to go through everything."

He nodded as Luna walked up. True to form, Ron wasn't far behind, although he made sure to not stand too close to her.

Pursing his lips, Harry leaned back in his chair and absently began running his thumb across the back of Tonks' hand, eliciting a bright smile from the ex-auror. Tonks, realizing that he was pulling inward, his mind racing through possibilities, smiled as she leaned back with his keeping her body close to his.

"Talk out loud, Harry." She whispered, though everyone near them could hear what she said.

He looked over at her then, his eyes slowly regaining focus as he leaned over and kissed her cheek… an act he might have been less inclined to do in a room that included two of his Professors (not counting Tonks) and his headmistress. On her part, Tonks blushed at seeing Luna's knowing smile and Ron's roll of his eyes. She didn't bother to look and see Hermione's response.

Harry just shook his head, oblivious to everything else going on. "I wonder if we're trying to hard on all of this…"

Hermione cocked her head to the side. "Too hard?"

Nodding, Ron looked among the small group, only dimly aware that most of the other groups that had formed had started gravitating towards where they were. "I'm the first to look for the easy answer, Harry… but this is You-Know-Who we're talking about."

Tonks flashed a quick smile at Ron before returning her gaze towards Harry. "What are you thinking?"

He started sucking on his upper lip. "While there has been some pattern to his madness as far as the horocruxes go… I still think a lot of it was more opportunity than just what we are suspecting. I mean, the diary was by a sixteen year old Tom Riddle…"

At this, Hermione leaned forward. "I see… going by his ages at the time… and since all were before 1981…"

"Why 1981?" Ron asked. At the sudden look that everyone in the room was giving him, Ron blushed brightly. "Right. Sorry 'bout that. Halloween. 1981."

Shaking his head, Harry smiled very briefly and indicated that Hermione should continue.

"If he graduated from Hogwarts in 1945… "

"The diary was from 1943." Ginny Weasley's voice suddenly popped into the conversation. Everyone turned to look at her, to which she just smiled. "Well… if anyone was to know, it'd be me."

"Right." Harry nodded at her look. "He was at Borgin and Burkes after that… where he eventually got the cup."

"How did he get the ring and the locket?" Luna asked.

Tonks smiled up at the girl, her eyes suddenly as green as Harry's were. "Not how, Luna. When? The question is when? If we can figure out the order of when he made them…"

"We can trace his steps and figure out where he got them." Ron smiled at finishing the thought.

"Okay." McGonagall looked proud, her face alight in satisfaction. "But finding where they came from does little for where they are now."

"True…" Harry's eyes flared like living flame. "But he also has the disturbing habit of putting things close to where he either got the horocrux or where the victim for making it was killed."

"Well, then…" Arthur Weasley clapped his hands together. "What are we waiting for? Let's get to work."

O X O X O X O X O X O

"Luna?"

At the sound of his voice, Luna Lovegood turned around, her pale blue eyes moving directly to meet his… brown eyes that she knew so well… still dreamed of, at times.

"Yes, Ronald?"

She watched as the redheaded young man approached hesitantly, his face betraying how close he wanted to draw near to her, but his mind screaming at him to be careful. Even if she didn't care so much for him anyone could see the controversy running throughout his entire being. Luna waited patiently as he seemed to finally make up his mind, his steps much surer as he drew closer.

"I wanted… no. I hoped… hoped that we might talk." His voice was soft, almost lost in the dark hallway. "At the very least, I can escort you back to your tower."

Nodding, she turned and waited for him to walk next to her, their strides soon matching as they navigated the stone cooridors… the lateness of the Order meeting leaving them all but alone in the gloom of the ancient castle.

"You said you wanted to talk."

Ron jerked at her voice, his face flushing and his ears going bright red as he smiled, his face lightening up… though the smiles never seemed to fully reach his eyes. Sad eyes. "I wanted to again say I'm sorry for everything this summer…"

She stopped, bringing them both to an abrupt halt. At his questioning gaze, Luna reached up and pulled Ron's head down closer to hers, his face filling her vision before she closed her eyes to kiss him. He flinched at first, unsure, but Luna opened her mouth and ran her tongue across his lips… Ron instinctively reacting as she knew he would, opening his own mouth and the kiss deepened.

His hands tightened around her waist as her won pulled through his hair, her hands guiding his head as she moved into him, their bodies fitting so well together…

It was with a heavy heart and a small sigh that she broke the kiss. Luna smiled in satisfaction at seeing the dumbstruck look on his face, his eyes not bright, matching the rest of his face.

"Wow."

Luna smiled sadly. "Ronald… we cannot be together right now."

The happiness of the moment before vanished instantaneously as his eyes widened. "But… why did… and you… I don't understand, Luna… we can't be together? Then why did you kiss me?"

Sighing, she started walking again. Ron wasted no time in keeping up with her. "I wanted you to know how I felt about you… that I still want you, Ronald."

"Well if you bloody want me then why can't you bloody be with me? Is this still about those damned cookies and the spell?"

She ignored the harshness of his words. She deserved it. Luna shook her head. "I forgave you and Hermione long ago, Ronald… this has nothing to do with that…"

"Then what?"

"You should have someone that can be with you… give you everything. You deserve to have everything from the one you love." Her voice was wistful. "I've made… commitments. Promises. And that means that I can't give you everything… not anymore."

Ron's hands clinched into fists, his taller frame looming over her. "I don't understand… I love you, Luna… you're the only one that I want… and you want me, too. I know it. I could feel it in that kiss."

"I shouldn't have kissed you…" She continued walking, all of her efforts into keeping one foot in front of the other and to hold back the tears that now threatened to fall. "I just wanted to kiss you and you looked like you needed tat kiss…"

Ron laughed, though there was no humour in it. "I did… Merlin above, I did… but I need more… lots more, Luna. I need your kisses…"

She stopped in front of the Ravenclaw dorm entrance. Her eyes luminescent, the combination of unshed tears and torch light, she looked up at him. "Could you have just that, Ronald? Just my kisses? Just my body? Knowing that my soul was elsewhere?"

He looked at her then, his face near unreadable as it was covered by shadows. "I want you, Luna. All of you… but I would take what I could get. I love you… and I need you. And I know you love me, too."

The tears finally started running down her cheeks. At seeing her cry, Ron reached for her, but she darted from his grasp, quickly moving through the Ravenclaw's secret entrance… to a place where he couldn't follow.

The redhead turned then, his countenance dark… Luna's last words fading in the gloom of the evening. "I do, Ronald… Circe be merciful, I love you…"

O X O X O X O X O X O

Humming a soft tune, Tonks kicked her feet over the edge of the table, her legs well short of the floor as she waited. Harry had made a quick dash for the kitchens… the idea of a late night snack before they both snuck into her room sounding like a capital idea… once she planned to reward him for later… twice maybe if he remembered to get chocolate.

Even as late as it was, the sky seemed unusually bright… the stars in the sky adding the perfect garnish to the half moon high that sat directly overhead… the pale illumination casting an ethereal glow to everything.

She laughed at herself when she realized her thoughts. Trust in the fact that being in love with Harry Potter would have her waxing poetic on the way the moon made a magical castle look more… well, magical. Tonks couldn't help but let out a small giggle… the very idea. She was turning into such a… well… girl. Her mother would be thrilled.

Leaning back on the table, Tonks decided to match on her outside as she felt on the inside. Scrunching up her nose, she focused and allowed for her hair to fall down in cascading waves… a near black colour (probably since Harry filled her thoughts) spilling to below her shoulders. She lightened her eyes… not a dark violet like before, but softer… lilac. Her skin whitened, the glow coming from the moon on her flesh added to the look.

Without a mirror, she couldn't be sure, but she'd yet to fail at any look that Harry had not liked… well… all but for one, and that was only for therapeutic reasons.

Tonks was suddenly excited. She loved it when Harry saw her in new forms, the different reactions he offered her, the honest opinions of those things he liked versus those he didn't. She blushed at the memory of how he had stuttered through an explanation of how he liked her body lean and tight… with smaller breast… not the large tracks of land that other boys all seemed to drool over. Tonks ran a hand through her now longer hair as she waited.

"Nice look." Remus Lupin stepped out from the shadows. "Posing for a picture?"

Closing her eyes, Tonks sighed as she sat back up. Running into a former crush on a romantic night while waiting on her lover was not on her list of things to experience. Relaxing, she allowed the new form to melt away… the Tonks that everyone knew and loved was back.

"What's up, Remus?"

"I wanted to talk to you… I think there are some things that need to be said."

"Really?" This was so not what she needed right now. "About what?"

"You and Harry." He replied simply.

"Let me get this straight… you want to talk to me about Harry? Or about me and Harry… together.?"

Remus sighed, his eyes unusually bright in the moonlight. "What are you doing? You and Harry… Nympha…"

"Don't!" Her voice shot out into the quiet night. "What business it is of yours what is going on between me and Harry. We're both adults. We're consenting…."

"That's not what I meant…"

"Then what the bloody hell do you mean?"

"I wanted…"

"You wanted what, exactly?" Tonks interrupted. "To tell me how to live my life? Tell Harry how to run his?" She laughed then. "Better luck with me than him… and I'm not going to let it happen."

"He's like a son to me…" Remus sighed, his shoulders sagging. "I promised Sirius… and James and Lily."

"Well… he may seem a son to you, but he is a lover to me."

Remus flinched. Rolling her eyes, Tonks jumped off of the table and drew nearer. "What do you want? Are you here to tell me to leave Harry? I won't do it. To warn me of getting hurt? I've been hurt before…"

"Tonks…" She had drawn too close. Remus reached out, his arms grabbing hers and pulling her in for a kiss. Their lips touched…

It was only the surprise that allowed it to draw on for as long as it did. With a surge of strength, Tonks pushed at the larger man, his body suddenly away from hers, his eyes wild. She looked at him as he approached her again.

The crack of the slap across his cheek seemed to bring him out from whatever illusion he might have had regarding the kiss. His hand came up to the redness of his left cheek, his eyes wide as they fell to meet hers, the question there enough for her to want to slap him again.. or better yet, to break his nose.

Taking a moment to calm down, Tonks looked around… goddess, but if Harry had seen that. Her eyes flashing in anger, she stepped away from where the werewolf was still standing.

"How dare you?" It was all she could do to keep from screaming. "That you… for you to… and…" She began pacing, her hands in tightly gripped fists.

"I'm so…"

"If you so much as dare to try and apologize, I'll tell Harry everything."

"What?" Remus whispered.

Tonks tried to relax, failing miserably. "You kissed me. Me! I'm his… well… girlfriend, I guess. What do you call a teacher that's sleeping with her student… and one word out of you and you'll wake up next week in the hospital." She shot out at him, never looking at him.

"Tonks…"

"No, Remus. No." She stopped and looked at him. "I did care for you before Harry… I really did, and maybe things would have turned out differently. But you told me no… that it wouldn't work."

"I didn't…"

"Didn't know what you wanted?" She nodded. "Me, too. I think we could have had something special, Remus… but that ship sailed. I tried everything and you turned me away. You only started looking for me once I was gone."

"You and Harry…"

"I love him, Remus." Tonks smiled sadly. "I am so in love with him that it makes my teeth ache when we're together and my soul cry when we're apart. There's no one else for me while I've got him… and I'm going o do everything I can to keep him."

Remus looked at her, his expression near unreadable. "I didn't think… I thought it was…"

"You thought it was sex." She said dryly.

"Well… yeah." He stepped further away from her, his features becoming lost in the night's cover. "I don't think anybody really expected…"

"What?" She retorted. "I can't fall in love? It can't be something real and beautiful… it has to be something dirty and perverted?"

"I didn't mean…"

"I know." She huffed. "But you're not the only one. Hermione and all of hers won't leave me alone… the Weasley's barely looked me in the eye at the meeting. I thought Molly was going to explode when Harry kissed my cheek."

Remus chuckled softly. "I really blew it, didn't I?"

"Which time?" She leaned back on the table. "When you told me that there would never be anything between us? Or when you kissed me?"

"Both, I think."

Tonks nodded. "Harry will be back soon. You want to stick around and see him?"

The former DADA professor shook his head. "No. I think I'll put my tail between my legs and run away with what little dignity I have left after tonight…"

She smiled. "You are important to me, Remus. Harry, too."

Tonks watched as he nodded, more to himself than in response to her. "When are you going to tell him?"

Tonks blinked rapidly. "Tell him what? That you kissed me? I won't…"

"No." Remus reached into his cloak and pulled out a thick rope, most likely a portkey out of Hogwarts. "That you're in love with him."

"Oh. That." She shrugged. "Not sure. I was kinda hoping he already knows…"

"Never leave something like that to chance, Tonks." Remus smiled briefly. "Don't let something that means so much to you the chance to slip away…"

"Remus…"

"No." He turned back to face her. "I'm not sure that you and I could ever really have worked… but you were suddenly gone. I had to try. Sirius would have made me try…"

"Sirius would have made you try long ago." She smiled. "But he would have kicked your furry arse out of England for kissing his godson's girl."

"True… very, very true." He held up the rope. "Take care of him, Tonks."

"I will."

Reality warped, and suddenly Remus Lupin was gone. She sighed at the rollercoaster that her life had become… the emotional highs and lows. Straightening her shoulders, she glanced over at the archway leading into the castle and smiled.

"How long have you been there?"

Harry stepped out from the darkness, his eyes sparkling green. "Long enough to know that I'm glad I missed the part where he actually kissed you."

She worried at her lower lip, his temperament one that could swing either way… but she was pleasantly surprised as Harry moved over to her quickly, and brought her into a quick kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss became something more… her heart suddenly racing as her body tightened in anticipation of him.

Pulling away, Harry laughed as he wrinkled his nose and then wiggled his eyebrows. "Eww…. Wolf breath."

"Prat!" She slapped at his arms, the laughter bubbling out from her mouth the only thing preventing her from chasing after him, "Where's the food?"

"Your room." At her questioning look, Harry shrugged. "I saw Lupin headed your way and I thought since he obviously wanted to talk to you that I could use the time to stash our feast."

"Feast?"

"Yeah…" He groaned. "Dobby's here."

She started laughing again. "Oh, boy…"

"So… you and Lupin okay?"

Tonks nodded as she interlaced her hand with his, the two of them walking towards her quarters. "I hope so. I really did like him, you know… I hate that he realized that we could've had something after it was too late."

"Is it too late?"

At his question, Tonks turned to look at him. She could so get lost in those eyes. Taking a deep breath, she nodded slowly. "Yes. Way too late. My heart is yours, Harry."

Harry smiled as he pulled at her hand, drawing her closer to her bedroom door. The feast of foods prepared by Dobby was all but forgotten by them both until much, much later…


	17. Change

CHANGE

_First, it was bright… a light that filled the windows with such intensity that those looking directly at it were blinded for several moments, before the sound followed… It was quiet… then there was the actual feeling as the explosion rocked the side of the castle, screams of fright and surprise and any number of other reasons were pulled from the throats of the younger students… cries for gods and parents and anyone else to save them from the impending horror._

_From where he was standing, Harry could see the headmistress… a valkyrie of Nordic myths come to life… her gray streaked hair loose from its bun, the length blowing in the brimstone scented breeze that followed the volley as she stood over those in her charge. Her eyes blazed with the light of knowledge… knowledge that the end of the world was upon her and she would fight to her very last breath to protect the children._

_Figures darted all around her… fallen friends. Several Weasley's could been seen scurrying around… memories of Molly's boggart come immediately to mind._

"_Luna!" A voice cried in the distance. "Luna! Answer me…" The hunched figure of a student… the tattered remains of their Hogwarts uniform all that helped to identify him, knelt over the broken and bloody remains of Loony Luna Lovegood._

_For a moment, Harry felt the beginning of tears… another life lost, another friend destroyed because of an egomaniacal wizard that had delusions of grandeur. Turning from the scene… only the faintest wisps of red hair showing from the person screaming for Luna to not leave him registered as the scene continued to unfold._

_Nothing anywhere was clean. The debris from the walls being breached as well as the constant barrage of dark magics being cast over and over upon the weakening and slowly failing wards of the last sanctuary from the coming threat of darkness… it left a film… a sense of messiness about the castle. Filch would be livid for months, at least, if he had lived through the initial stages of the Deatheaters' attack. He was ignored by the huddled and freighted masses as he made his way out of the room… Minerva's final task her own. Harry could not help her here._

_It was chaos everywhere. Around each corner, bodies lay strewn out, the telltale signs and remnants of wand fights left everywhere, each leaving behind a spatter of blood here or the fallen body of the loser there. _

_And through it all… Harry could not cry. No tears but for those that had just begun at seeing Luna's broken body… of all of the other bloodied faces he refused to put a name to, though he had recognized each and every one of them. What was wrong with him? Were these not his classmates? His teachers? His friends?_

_Gritting his teeth, he continued his lone trek through the castle… the fleeing figures of neither the younger students nor the evil faced attackers chasing after them enough to move Harry, to stir his spirit to force him into action. He ignored them just as he was ignored. He was only a visitor. It was not his purpose to participate… not yet. There was something here he was being shown. _

_His task was yet before him. Destiny had come calling._

_As he made his way down the strangely still staircase, the reflection of metal where there should have been nothing pulled his eye to the darkness hidden by the shadows cast from the broken stairwell. Reaching the ground floor, Harry stepped coldly over the dead body of Colin Creevy. For a moment, the gloom from the direction he was searching seemed to thick, but eventually his eyes adjusted… allowing for the images to finally become clear._

_Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, the last of the Marauders… the last links to his parents… both lay with eyes forever more unseeing, broken beyond all repair. Idly, Harry wiped at his dry eyes as he took in the scene… Wormtail's silver hand (a gift from his dark lord) had punched through Mooney's chest… the silver the primary weakness to werewolves. At least it looked that Remus had gotten one good shot to finish the job before he fell._

_In the silence that surrounded him, Harry offered a brief prayer to a god that he didn't believe in… that.his parents and Sirius would meet him in the next life… just as he held to the fleeting hope that they would be there to welcome him with open arms once he, too, had fallen. _

_Nodding to himself, Harry moved through the hallways again, the body count rising with every direction that his gaze could look. Students of every year and every House lay where they fell, a perverted and macabre artistic grace to the unusual symmetry that seemed to be created. But for every student… for every point of light, there were the followers of darkness… masked and unmasked wizards and witches that had joined the dark side. They too lay defeated on the floor, though the price was too high in Harry's opinion._

_He had to skirt around the Great Hall… the ceiling above having collapsed, whether intentional or not, had succeeded in burying what appeared to be several giants, more of the scum that had fallen for his empty promises and lies. He wondered at who might still be in the hall… whether they were alive or dead, but that still was not his concern. This was not what he was here to see._

_As if by prompting, the doors leading out from the castle proper to the grounds outside opened… the sound of open warfare carried to his ear. The centaurs had joined the light, the forces under Tom were hard pressed… but their foe had not yet engaged them… Harry had not joined the fight. In another instance, he might have worried at the sounding explosions that continued to rock the castle, the fine dust falling everywhere._

_No. _

_Harry ignored it all, his steps sure as he moved outside._

_For a moment, he could almost fool himself into believing that all was well in the world… the sudden silence that seemed to fill the entire area… the lack of soldiers… no aurors or others flying around. No screams of pain or cries for mercy. No more loud booms or cracks of apparition. No. The world was just another sunny day… the sky clear with only a few wisps of clouds to draw away from such perfect weather… but as his eyes became focused under the noonday glare… he saw tat he had woken to hell._

"HARRY!"

_The call finally drew him away from his study of the battle, albeit reluctantly, the itch to find his wand, the brother to Tom's own weapon, and join his brothers and sister in the horror he knew was still ongoing… it was almost too much of a lure to resist, but the voice continued calling for him, desperate and pleading…_

_Where was his love? Somewhere, she was alone… scared. He had to find her…_

_Fear finally gripped his heart as the tears finally fell, the cool wetness staining his dirt stained cheeks as he felt the core of his magic, an untouched reservoir that his mentor, Albus Dumbledore, had warned him of… the danger of letting loose before the day when it would be needed. Was today that day?_

"HARRY…PLEASE!"

_Annoyed, he looked around for the source of the voice…. The cry that seemed to refuse to let him find his heart's desire… the burden of his life almost too much to withstand life without her. With an exaggerated sigh, he moved down the field… the need to join the rising conflict was almost too much. _

_Wand in hand, he prepared to be what prophecy dictated he become…_

"HARRY!"

The ice-cold water stole his breath, his lungs suddenly on fire as he jerked upright… his eyes wide and his muscles taut at the unexpected attack. Instinctively, he lifted his left hand to ward off any coming blows, his face protected, as he called his wand to his hand, the well of called magic at hand.

"Harry… no…" Tonks voice broke through his stupor, his eyes blinking… the darkness everywhere lending to the blurry world, his glasses somewhere else, as he took in a deep breath and tried to relax… even as Moody's drill of "constant vigilance" prevented him from trusting everything around him completely until he knew what the situation was.

"Do-Dora?"

There was a sigh of relief. "Harry… it's me… shhh… you're okay."

His glasses were suddenly thrust into his hand. He took a chance and wasted the moment to slide his glasses over his eyes, the world slowly regaining focus.

He was in Tonks' bedroom in the professor's wing of Hogwarts. The room was much like she was, in Harry's estimation and opinion: loud and colorful and completely haphazard. Nothing was where it should be, books on the floor and clothes thrown on the shelves. Other than the bed and the single photograph of the two of them together that he knew of framed and hanging by the door… the room looked like chaos.

Tonks, herself, was the only abnormality in the room. She still looked as she did before they'd finally fallen asleep… how long ago? He shook his head as he shivered, the water across his body barely warming… his legs caught up in the blankets, effectively having wrapped himself up.

Harry tried to give her a reassuring smile, failing miserably by the lack of a return smile from her. No. Her eyes were haunted, dark… even as they were a bright blue… a blue to match her hair.

"What…" He took a breath and tried again. "What happened?"

"You were in the middle of a nightmare. I tried waking you up, but I couldn't." It broke his heart at how small her voice sounded. "I wasn't sure what to do… you've never been like that before."

He sat up and opened his arms. Tonks let out a cry of anguish as she dove into him, her arms tightening around him as she finally broke down, the tears falling freely.

Upset that he'd scared her, he ran his hand through her hair, humming softly… a tune that he didn't consciously know, but one that his own mother had used to quiet him as a child. Harry held her, the tears that had only threatened to fall in his dream now falling freely as he kept her close.

"What happened?"

Harry took a breath… the moment of truth inside of him finally here. Whenever anyone else had ever asked him, he'd passed it off… Dumbledore the only one he'd ever felt comfortable enough to share the dreams with. Even Hermione had not known all of it, his desire to keep her safe from the entirety of his damnation, destiny linking him with the greatest source of evil currently known to man.

Could he tell her?

"Harry?"

Kissing her on top of her head, Harry bared his soul. He started with the one from last night. Her eyes when she'd dared to meet his gaze had been full of anguish and sorrow, but she'd remained quiet. And his heart felt lighter… so he asked if he could tell her more… and she'd nodded, so he told her of them all. Hundreds of visions and nightmares and dreams. Once started, it was a confession, a penance to somehow remove the blight that marred his being.

Harry told her of the first dream… of Voldemort, a name he'd not yet even known, whispering promises of power in the darkness. Harry told her of seeing Ron destroyed… drowning, his being stopped in the Second Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament… Ron's bloated corpse rising to the lake's surface. Of failing Ginny, Tom Riddle's return in his second year. Of it all.

Breaking down, he's even told her of the constant nightmares for two years of Tom capturing Hermione and having his minions violating her, braking her… her hoarse cries at not saving him lasting for days… of holding it all inside.

Dawn's light peeked in through the window by the time he was done… their positions reversed, Tonks now cradling him, soothing him as she brushed his hair away from his face so that she could see him… all of him, laid bare before her.

It took her breath away and made her love him all the more. It all came down to the fact that he was scared… scared of losing. But more than that… he was terrified of losing everyone that he loved. To herself, she pledged to never let him feel that way.

"How can you stand it?

He smiled then, the life and sparkle once again returning to the emerald green of his eyes. "I'm not sure that I ever did before… I just had to."

I can't ask… but I have to know. "What's changed?"

He'd smiled like a child then… a look she'd never seen on Harry Potter's face before.

"You."

O X O X O X O X O X O

The blonde haired girl ignored the lingering looks from the boys that she passed as she continued her way deeper into the library, the object of her search still eluding her. She chastised herself for having chosen the library, of all places, to be the last place she looked, but she had honestly believed that somehow Hermione Granger would have taken advantage of the unseemly warm weather outside and would be enjoying the sunshine.

A fool's hope, to be sure.

At turning from the last of the ceiling high bookshelves, Lavender turned towards the restricted section of Hogwarts library. Sure enough, in the corner by the large bay window, the dark-haired girl sat surrounded by a plethora of books and scrolls, her head down while her hand busily scratched away on the parchment in front of her.

"Hi, stranger." She called, her hand waving at the dust that seemed to permeate the air all around her.

Hermione looked up then, her eyes wide in the darkness, and watched her approach. Lavender ignored the look of annoyance that flitted across her face… chalking it up to being surprised and not of actually trying to avoid her… the fact that Lavender and Hermione had not spoken in the past few days just a coincidence.

Choosing to remain oblivious to the truth, lying to herself, Lavender forced a smile. "Where have you been? There's talk of a House picnic over by the lake and it would be nice if the Head Girl could attend."

She watched as Hermione blew some of her hair out of her face. Setting her quill down, she stretched quietly before turning her attention back. "Maybe for lunch… there's so much to do."

"Lunch?" Lavender laughed. "Lunch was over an hour ago. This is an afternoon thing."

"I missed lunch?" To reiterate the point, her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. She watched as Hermione blushed before nodding, her eyes scanning the chaos on the table before her.

"I'm sure since this area is in the restricted section that no one will mess with anything."

Absently, Hermione stood and sighed, her eyes moving out the window. Lavender patiently waited as the other girl brushed at her clothes before finally dragging herself away from whatever she had been working on so diligently.

"Ready?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah… let's go."

Smiling in satisfaction, Lavender walked alongside Hermione out of the dark, musty library and led her through the castle and out to the grounds. At any other time, Lavender might have been worried that Hermione was so quiet… barely saying a word, but she had realized how tough the school year had been for her.

Forcing a grin whenever Hermione glanced her way, she considered how strange Hogwarts was… the threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named threatening the very existence of their way of life… murders and hate crimes, purebloods versus everyone else at an all time high, and here they were… still upset over boyfriends and classes and grades.

Looking sideways at Hermione, she wondered how Harry had ever dealt with it.

As if by even thinking his name, the young man in question came into view, slightly away and apart from where everyone else was sitting… he looked deep in thought.

She felt Hermione stiffen slightly before turning to look at her. "I want to go say hello to Harry."

Lavender nodded, proud of herself that she didn't roll her eyes, and then changed direction along with Hermione so that they could pass closer by where Harry was sitting. Drawing nearer, Lavender felt her eyes widen as she found Harry to be sitting quietly along one of the stone walls that decorated the lower regions of the grounds away from the castle.

She sighed to herself at the scene… as she could very easily understand Hermione's obsession with him. Sure, he was possibly the one destined to save everything from You-Know Who, the Daily Prophet's heralded Chosen One. He'd already faced death so many times that he had to carry himself with an air of confidence that no seventeen-year-old boy should… not and actually be able to back it up. Excluding the fact that he was a hero… he was absolutely scrumptious. Lavender felt her own mouth go dry at the picturesque image that they had come across.

Harry was in dark jeans… but worn enough times that they had begun to fade a bit along the hem. His long sleeved shirt was a dark green, almost black… but for the neon gold writing for the Wyked Sister across the chest. Ink black hair, longer than she normally liked on men but well suited for him, caught the afternoon sun perfect, the reflection adding highlights that no charm or muggle bottle could ever capture… but it was the deep look of concentration, his lips moving silently as those jeweled green eyes barely contained behind those glasses scanned the book he held in his lap…

"Hey…" Hermione broke the perfection of the moment.

Lavender watched as Harry lifted his head, his eyes alighting across each of them before he smiled… that half smile that tugged only the right side of his mouth. She watched as he casually glanced one last time at the page he'd been reading before setting the book carefully down on the wall next to him.

Harry nodded to both of them. "I'm surprised Lavender was able to get you out of the library. I'd have lost the bet with Ginny if I'd had to choose."

Both girls grinned as Harry stood, his thin form suddenly seeming so much more. Lavender was suddenly without a thought in her head, unable to think of a single thing to say.

It was just as well… this was Hermione's territory… dealing with Harry.

"I'm actually surprised you're out here." She smiled when she said it, her eyes dancing over him, drinking in the sight of him. "Figured there was training or studying or something that you'd be doing. Even flying."

Harry had laughed. "Ron tried, but even flying seems like work today, you know." They ignored the grimace at mentioning Ron. "The idea of a book and the sun was just too much to pass up… beside, I think Dora… uhm… Professor Tonks said something about a pop quiz in class next week and I don't want to give her a chance to flunk me."

"Right… like she'd not give you a passing grade." Lavender regretted her words the moment they left her mouth. Her face flared red, as she glanced between Harry and Hermione. Harry's face became withdrawn, cold, while Hermione just shook her head. "Sorry. That came out wrong… I meant…"

"Anyway," Hermione gracefully interrupted. "It's good to see you studying. NEWT's will be here before you know it… and its weird not studying with either you or Ron. I'm used to having to beat you over the head with the books, praying that osmosis will seep into that thick skull of yours."

"Yeah." Harry's voice seemed wistful. "I miss that sometimes, too… except the beatings. Never was much into that sort of thing."

Were they flirting?

Hermione stepped closer to Harry, her face remaining calm… a fact she was very happy with. "We do have a study group, Harry… I've told you about it before. You are welcome to join in. And I promise…" Hermione giggled. "No book beatings unless you need it."

He smiled. "We'll see… I still have a lot of things to look through… about… well, you know."

She nodded. Lavender just smiled, knowing that there were things going on that she couldn't be a part of. It was one of the facts that she'd had to accept early on when she and Hermione became friends. There were always parts of the Golden Trio that mere outsiders were never going to understand. Even now, it seemed.

"Well… we're going to join the picnic." Hermione smiled softly. "Did you need anything?"

Lavender almost died of shock when Harry turned around and picked up his book. "How about I join you lovely ladies. Is that okay?"

Hermione flashed a smile that made the sun look dull. "Sure. Whatever you want."

O X O X O X O X O X O

Inside the castle, Tonks grinned softly as she watched from the window in the headmistress' office as Harry walked towards the picnic area. She hated that she couldn't join him at the moment, to spend a carefree Sunday afternoon with the love of her life, but the Order has need of her services… and anything that she could do to make the world even a minute part safer for her Harry was worth it.

Thrilled to the ends of her toes that she felt no jealousy, no worry in regards to Harry spending time with Hermione now… secure in their love for one another, especially after he'd finally opened himself up to her as he had to no one before, Tonks watched the retreating figure of the man she loved.

"I'm sorry that this came up." Minerva offered from behind her.

Turning, she looked at the older witch and current leader of the Order of the Phoenix. "No. Its okay. I know that I've not been the most reliable Order member for you lately… Harry's needed me… I've needed him. But we're at a good place right now… and if I can help, then I'll do whatever I can."

The relief in her eyes was evident. "Thank you, Nymphadora… I would not normally ask, but…"

Tonks waved her hand as she moved away from the window to sit down in the chair opposite of where McGonagall was sitting. "So… what's the mission?"

"Kingsley has discovered a pub in lower London… off the… normal path, shall we say. We think that we can get a spy in there, learn about what he has planned, but normal appearance charms and uses of polyjuice potions have been ineffective…"

"But a metamorphmagus could do it."

She nodded. "Yes."

Tonks sighed. "When do I need to go?"

"And here's where you're going to be upset." The headmistress admitted. "We've got a safe house that is waiting for you even as we speak."

"Now?" She couldn't help but blurt it out. "You want me to go now?"

"Yes. And worse… no one can know that you've left and I can't say when you'll be back."

Tonks stood again, pacing across the small office. "But what about Harry? I can't just leave… he trusts that I'll be here… and there's the horocrux…"

"Nymphadora." Minerva called. Possibly the last living person other than her parents who she allowed to get away calling her by her name. "Nymphadora… I know that it's asking a lot, but we need to find out what's being planned. No one has any clue of what's going on."

"But…"

"I'll inform Mister Pott… Harry. I'll let him know."

Tonks laughed, her eyes dark. "He won't be happy. You know that, right?"

"Let me deal with Harry… I need for you to focus on the mission at hand. I wouldn't ask, but we're running out of time…"

When the younger witch remained silent, Minerva leaned forward. "You'll have plenty of back up. There are several aurors, all that you know and trust, plus several of the Order that you can call upon at any time."

Sighing, she closed her eyes and put her face in her hands. Forgive me, Harry… "Okay. I'll do it."


	18. Beginning of the End

A/N: Well… I think this will most likely be the last chapter for a few days. I need to recharge my batteries and decide if I want to keep this story light and fun or have it start taking a darker turn. Thoughts on the direction will be considered, but the story's final outcome will not change.

Hope this one tides you over till I get up and moving again.

Keep those reviews coming…

O X O X O X O X O X O

BEGINNING OF THE END

Hannah brushed back her blonde hair, her eyes alive with anticipation as she picked up her satchel and hurried towards the door leaving the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Ku'une had complimented her on her shield spells, earning her another twenty House points for Hufflepuff.

Stepping out into the hallway, she caught sight of Jay Flemming retreating in the opposite direction. If she remembered correctly, he was free for the rest of the day and often spent his afternoons in the library… typical of Ravenclaw.

Sucking up her courage, she picked up her steps and made up next to the boy. "Hey there… fancy meeting you here."

Jay glanced down at her before rolling his eyes, although there was a quirk of his lips that hinted at a smile. "Abbott."

"You know, we've talked enough times… you can call me by my first name."

He paused momentarily before nodding, his gaze kept straight ahead. "Okay… Hannah."

She smiled at having finally succeeded in getting him to call her by her first name. Phase two of her master plan finally kicking in. "So… Jay. Of to the library again?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes. NEWT's, you know. Never to early to get a jump on having all of your homework done."

Hannah hid a giggle behind her hand. "You sound like Hermione Granger. Always worrying about homework. Don't you ever relax?"

Jay rolled his eyes. "I suppose… though I never really paid too much attention to… other things."

"Well." She took a deep breath. "Tomorrow is a Hogsmeade weekend. I could show you around since you're new… and I know that you've not been out of the castle since you got here."

"You know?"

She blushed prettily. "Yeah, well… I'm sure lots of people noticed, you being new and all." He nodded, his steps leading them closer to his destination.

"And I was thinking… we could meet in front of the Great Hall after breakfast… if you want." She rushed the words out, hoping she wasn't as red as she thought she would be. "We could go together."

At her offer, Jay turned to look at her. Shyly, Hannah looked up at the tall boy… young man, his dark brown hair and dark eyes catching her breath in her throat. He watched her carefully, before he slowly nodded.

"Sure. I can do that… if I can get everything done tonight."

She couldn't help the smile that blossomed over her face. "Great. Listen… I can help you with any homework tonight, you know, if you'd like… study together. And then maybe plan what we'll do tomorrow."

"Okay." Jay answered slowly. "Now?" At her look, he smiled… almost making her weak in the knees. "Study, I mean. Since we're here at the library."

"All right."

They walked together into the library, several tables already full of other students with several books and parchments open, tables covered with students studying for OWL's and NEWT's. Hannah couldn't help but smile over at her friends who saw her walking next to Jay. At Susan's look of surprise, Hannah covertly shot her a thumb's up sign and got a wink back in return.

They soon sat at a table and started pulling books out, readying them for getting their class work out of the way. Hannah chewed at her lip, the silence drawing out.

"So… what do you think about the headmistress taking over transfiguration from Professor Tonks?"

At her question, Jay looked up startled. He watched her warily for a moment, before finally relaxing just a bit and shrugging. "Not sure. Maybe Professor Tonks had a family emergency or something."

Remembering the juicy bit of gossip that he had helped her come up with a few weeks ago, Hannah sat and playfully brushed her hair back, rewarding Jay with what she hoped was her best smile. "Yeah… or maybe she and Harry had a lover's spat. He's definitely been in a foul mood since she vanished at the beginning of the week."

Jay nodded noncommittally. "Maybe. I don't hang out with Harry Potter. I think I've spoken to him all of twice since I got to Hogwarts… and whether he and some professor are playing house or having a fight is nothing to do with me."

"Aren't you curious, though?" She absently leafed through one of her school books, never noticing that it was turned upside down. "I mean… take this year. He's been so… well, distant since he broke up with Hermione, but since Professor Tonks has been gone, he's been downright... well, rude."

"Not the golden boy of Hogwarts anymore, huh?"

Hannah shot Jay a look. "Wow. Golden boy. I haven't heard Harry Potter called that since Draco Malfoy was a student here."

Silently, Draco cursed at his falling into old habits. "Malfoy? He used to go here?" He tried to cover his mistake. Luckily, the Hufflepuff seventh year seemed to fall for it.

Hannah visibly shuddered. "Eww. Yeah. He was absolutely dreamy to look at, but he was Slytherin…. Completely. Turned to You-Know-Who. He and Professor Snape, the old potions teacher before Professor Slughorn let Deatheaters into the school last year. Killed Headmaster Dumbledore."

Dreamy? "What happened to him?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. Don't want to know. All I do know is that it took the headmistress coming to my home and talking to my dad before he'd agree to let me come back this year."

At her forlorn look, Draco/Jay nodded silently. "How about we hit these books before dinner?"

After she nodded, he reached over and turned the book sitting in front of her around. "And I bet," He smiled. "That we'll get so much more accomplished when you can read the words written on the page."

O X O X O X O X O X O

"What are you going to do?"

Hermione sipped at her butter beer, trying to ignore all of the other people packed into the Three Broomsticks. She'd been mostly successful, only having to glare a few times at various careless passersby that had jostled her, causing her to almost spill her drink.

Sighing, she kept both hands around the base of the bottle, setting it back on the table in front of her, as she considered Ginny's question.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

Lavender set her own drink down hard, causing all of the other students crowded around the booth they had managed to snag to jump back in surprise. "Not a good idea? Are you crazy? He's ripe for the picking, girl… now is the time to strike."

She shook her head, ignoring the looks that passed between Dean and Seamus, both having already voiced their dislike for conspiring against Harry… even for possibly helping him and Hermione get back together. She shook her head. "Trying to… how did you put it earlier? Oh. Right. Beat the bitch at her own game… she's off doing something important… fighting the good fight for all of us. And I should steal Harry away while she's gone?"

Ignoring the looks of the others at the table, Lavender grimaced at having her words thrown back in her face. "Steal him? How can you consider it stealing when she stole him from you?"

"Lavender…" Ginny tried to talk, but she was shot down by a glare from the older girl.

Hermione kept her gaze at her half empty bottle. "She didn't steal him… you know that. Everything just…"

How could you finish that thought?

"No. All's fair in love and war. Isn't that the saying?" Lavender sipped at her drink. "Are you willing to do what is necessary to get the proclaimed 'love of your life' back or not?"

Hermione shook her head. "I can't." From the corner of her eye, she watched as Hannah Abbott and the strange Ravenclaw, Jay Flemming moved into the room and sat down at a table currently occupied by Hufflepuffs. Turning her attention back to the girls around her, she sighed. "No."

Both Padma and Pavarti stared openmouthed. Ginny nodded, though almost too briefly for anyone to catch it. Lavender slumped her shoulders, defeated.

"I love Harry. I do." Hermione finished off her drink. "But I want him to come back to me… no tricks. Because he wants me."

Ginny opened her mouth and closed it several times before she took a breath. "Then you need to be his friend, Hermione… not an ex-girlfriend, but a friend. You need to be what Harry needs." At Hermione's look, Ginny's ears blushed red. "You know that's the way to his heart."

Hermione shrugged. "I thought I did… it just seems too unreal sometimes."

"What does?" Pavarti asked as she started eating from the bowl of crisps at the center of the table.

"Harry with Tonks." She took a breath. "Sure, they were all chummy last year, but that was because of those death threats… the new Minister wanting some good P.R. by a show of protection for the Chosen One."

Dean leaned forward, his eyes darting around the assembled young women. "Are you just pretending to not get it… or what?"

"Huh?" Several pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

"I guess without Harry or Ron, you don't have a guy's view of it… of what happened." He paused while he snagged the attention of a passing waitress and ordered another butter beer. "It's not really all that deep… especially for Harry."

"Well?" Lavender sighed. "Dazzle us with your brilliance."

Ignoring her sarcasm, Dean looked at Seamus. The other boy sighed as he leaned forward. "You drove him into the arms of another woman. Everything that belonged to him some other guy got to take… therefore, he had to get it from someone that wouldn't give it to someone else."

Padma bristled at the 'belonged to him' part, but kept nodded at the simplified explanation. "That could be it, Hermione."

"B-but… I didn't give anything." Her eyes went cold. "It was taken."

"By his best mate." Dean smiled sadly. "And while you say it wasn't your fault… or Ron's, for that matter… I bet Harry believes you with his head."

"But not with his heart." She whispered.

Both boys nodded. "And with his… well… heart broken and empty, he turned to a friend,"

Dean smiled. "Professor Tonks, in this case."

"And he used her as a surrogate for you." Seamus finished.

Susan's eyes were wide at the craziness of it all. "But… how could Harry do that to Professor Tonks? That's so…"

It was Ginny who answered. "He wouldn't. Didn't." She shook her head, red hair spreading across her shoulders. "You're acting like Harry is using her. Anyone that knows him knows that isn't the case."

Hermione nodded softly. "See, Lav… that's what I'm up against. If Harry was the type for a quick shag… and maybe that would have been all it was, but she stayed…"

"Got in under his wall…" Ginny interjected.

"He's in love with her now… though it'll take an act of the Goddess to get him to admit it." Hermione smiled ruefully. "It took him thinking he had lost me at the Department of Mysteries before he could find a way to tell me."

"You have to stop it." Lavender's eyes seemed to burn. "Don't you see? She got in… something I thought nobody but you… maybe Ginny… could have ever accomplished. You have to fight."

Pavarti looked at her empty bottle of butter beer. "Its not like you didn't throw the gauntlet down already."

"That was…" Hermione paused, her mouth open.

The whole table paused as Ron walked by, his eyes darting over the table before he nodded briefly and then moved over to catch up with Neville who was waiting for him at the door.

Lavender watched as Hermione followed Ron's movements. Leaning over the table, Lavender smiled sadly. "You miss him, too, don't you?"

"Yeah." Hermione smiled back. "Both of them… I wish we could go back to how things were… even as bad as thing were last year with Umbridge and Snape. All of it."

At the tears that finally threatened to fall, the table became quiet. Ginny finally reached over and placed her hand over Hermione's. "The cookies."

Hermione used her free hand to wipe at her eyes, refusing it let the tears fall. "I wish I could understand… those damned cookies."

"Still no idea?" Padma asked, her eyes wide. "It's not like you have that long of a list of likely suspects".

Ginny frowned, her eyes not meeting anyone else at the table. "We're talking about my family… this will be a blow. Mum will be devastated… Dad furious. And Ron…"

"So you do have an idea?" Susan asked.

"Nothing that make any sense… I just can't believe it. I keep looking for another answer… or a reason. Something that doesn't make me ashamed of being a Weasley."

Everyone at the table sat riveted. Finally, Lavender broke the silence. "Do you know?"

"I think it was a mistake." Ginny shrugged.

"A mistake?" Hermione shrieked.

She nodded sadly. "I think it was Fred and George… and I think the cookies were meant for you and Harry." Ginny took a deep breath. Here we go. "And I think it's all my fault."

O X O X O X O X O X O

"Achoo!"

Luna looked up from where she was sitting, the assorted boxes and packing materials all around her lending to the image of Christmas morning… without all of the pretty paper and bows Her pale eyes sparkled as she blew at her hair that refused to stayed tied back in a ponytail, and wiped away at the dust that seemed to fill the air all around her.

"You know… sneezing is an excellent repellant for…"

"Nevermind." Harry waved his hand, almost afraid to hear of what strange and hereto unseen magical creature was warded off by sneezes.

"Okay."

For a moment, he worried that he might have hurt her feelings, the abrupt manner in which she took his interrupting her explanation, but a quick look at the blonde Ravenclaw had him dismiss the idea since she was humming "Weasley is our King" under her breath, her gaze returning back to searching through many of the packed belongings to Dumbledore. So far, there had been no luck in finding anything.

Returning back to the trunk he had been searching through, Harry carefully set the offending old picture album that had led to his sneeze to the side, taking special precautions to not create another cloud of dust. His allergies just wouldn't be able to take too much more inhalation. Groaning, Harry pulled out what had to be the hundredth robe… this one set in electric blue with silver and gold stars.

He chuckled that at least it hadn't been as bad as the one that had green clovers, blue diamonds and purple horseshoes on it. That one had to have been a gag gift or something.

As he pushed his hands further into the trunk, feeling around for anything that fit the description of his quest, he felt someone's gaze upon him. Turning carefully, he found Luna sitting there, staring.

"Luna?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Do you need anything?"

He watched she scrunched her face. "Need? No."

Not need? "How about want."

"What about want?"

Closing his eyes, Harry felt a smile come to his face. Just how many conversations over the years had he experienced with her? Too many… and yet, he still fell for it every time, without fail. "Is there something that you want, Luna?"

"I want many things, Harry."

Mentally, he felt like screaming. "Luna… is there something, in particular, that you are thinking hard about, that you want?"

She nodded slowly. "I want you to be happy."

Well. Not exactly what I expected. Harry rose from where he was sitting and moved closer to Luna. She smiled as he took her hands in his, the green of his eyes unflinchingly meeting the pale blue of her own. "What makes you think I'm unhappy?"

"Tonks is gone. You don't talk to Ronald except when you have to… Order meetings or Quidditch. You still avoid Hermione…"

"Wait." Harry stopped her. "I do not avoid Hermione."

"You do. Your heart does. She loves you, you know."

Harry sighed. He considered pulling his hands away, but Luna held them tightly. "I love Dora now… I'm with Tonks."

Luna tilted her head to the left, her face unreadable. "Just because you love Tonks doesn't mean that you stopped loving Hermione. That's just silly, Harry."

He smiled. He didn't really want to, but he couldn't help it. "I just can't get past seeing her and Ron together… every time I look at her, that image just is suddenly there. I don't want to see it… can't stand to see it. But it won't go away."

Harry looked at her then. "You've gotten over it with Ron, haven't you?" At her nod, he leaned closer. "How?"

She shrugged. "Maybe because I only heard about it. I didn't see it. I wasn't forced to live with the memory of it… just the knowledge."

"And that's the problem…" Harry tried to smile, but failed miserably. "I'm in love with two women… one that's my best friend that slept with my best mate… and the other is gone off on a mission for the Order, gone for who knows how long. Not a lot to be happy about."

"Well," Luna spoke into the quiet that had fallen over them. "I guess it's up to me to make you happy."

Harry laughed, his eyes sparkling… something that warmed Luna. "Not that I don't appreciate the thought, Luna… but two is more than I can handle. Adding a third just seems…"

Luna blushed bright red at Harry's words. "Oh. No. Wait. You thought I meant…"

He looked at her, Luna's cheeks pink with embarrassment. "Sorry… I didn't mean to embarrass you… I just thought, well…" Now he was flushing. "The way you said that…"

"Make you happy?"

Harry nodded. Shaking her head, Luna smiled. "I just meant that we could stop looking through all these boxes."

"What?"

Releasing his hands, Luna reached into the box to the right of where they were sitting. Luna reached under some torn packing paper and pulled out something bundled up in a heavy white cloth. As it drew closer, Harry watched as the material fell away revealing a large amethyst crystal. Immediately upon setting eyes upon it, memories of the large stone in Dumbledore's office flooded into his mind's eye.

This is what they were looking for.

Harry felt his frustration fall away as his thoughts whirled into every direction. The fifth horocrux… after this, Nagini. And then… Voldemort.

The end was near.

O X O X O X O X O X O

In days long past, they would have sat in palaces… servants clamoring and fighting for the even just the honor to be in his presence, their every want and desire acted upon immediately, lest they feel the weight of their master's displeasure. Scraps from his table would have been regarded as higher than gold… more precious than diamonds. More necessary than food or water.

Looking about the dark, shadowed cavern located near the ancestral remains of Riddle Manor, Lord Voldemort was holding court over the sycophants and other dregs that had flocked to his banner, the promise of a place in his new order too strong a lure for the weak willed and criminally minded. From the vantage of his throne, a chair ripped from the home of a nameless victim, his crimson gaze crossed over the kneeling masses, finally settling upon those few remaining of his trusted servants.

"Wormtail." At the sound of his voice, the man in question flinched, his body shaking from being in the presence of such greatness. "You have word?"

"Y-yes… yes… M-master…. Th-the… the…"

If possible, Voldemort's features became even darker, a sure sign that his anger was rising, as he sneered down at the sniveling coward. For not the first time, he considered just ending its useful existence… but he had been loyal… true loyalty… and the silver hand at the end of his arm signified that he had been favored once, in the Dark Lord's eyes.

Moving his gaze to the left, Bellatrix bowed her head at finding his eyes upon her. There was still a challenge in her eyes… a dance of madness that brought a smile to his lips… his Bella, the beautiful death. She had been a masterpiece of creation, the time it had taken to break her will… the Black family had always been proud, their place had to be shown to them… before restoring her to the shape and mindset of his liking. She had fought until the very end… her final test the killing of her cousin, Regelus… the traitor.

It was only luck that allowed for her to destroy Sirius, as well. The line of Black was ended… it had made him smile.

"My Lord…" She spoke suddenly. At her words, he pulled from his memories and set his hard gaze upon her.

"Yes, child. Speak."

Bellatrix kept her head bowed as was respectful. "You will not like his answers, my Lord. He fears for his very life at being the messenger of such tidings."

Flicking a glance at Wormtail, he sighed. "And what could be so bad other than failure at having retrieved that which I asked for?"

"M-master… for… forgive me… but they were not there." The rat animagus cringed. "None. They-they were… all gone, sire… Master… they were gone!"

Voldemort had not even realized that he was standing, his wand in hand… as his eyes blazed over the assembled Deatheaters and hired mercenaries. "WHAT!"

Bellatrix had not moved from where she stood... a lone tree standing against the rush of the storm, the others falling away under the storm. "All of the… items you wished recovered, my Lord. All that we could reach were gone."

Turning suddenly, the long cloak that swirled around him in a motion that seemed to give life to the dark fabric, he slammed his hand along the armrest of his throne, his voice was like the promise of death. "We must retrieve at least one… one more…" Only two figures in the crowd before him caught Voldemort's glance at the snake curled at the base of his throne's raised platform.

"Wormtail!" The former Marauder jumped in fright. "You must enter Hogwarts. I must have it… I must make sure that all is well…"

"Y-yes, master…"

Along the second row of Deatheaters, Severus Snape closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping his mental shields up… the danger of his knowledge almost too much. He'd been removed from the inner row, those closest to the Dark Lord, for his failure to capture Draco Malfoy after he'd turned traitor and run. He smiled, thankful that his godson was safe… his promise to his mother intact.

Much further away from where the former potions and then DADA professor knelt, another figure considered the options available to her. Though not knelt, her eyes were carefully kept as far from looking at You-Know-Who as possible, the danger of what she contained inside a real threat to the Order and to Harry if it was ever let out.

Grimacing as she ran her hand over her bald head, the raised scars that marked her as a sword-sworn magi of the nineteenth level, she once again wondered at what Harry might be doing right now… her greatest wish to get out of this dungeon… to take a long, hot bath (with bubbles!) and to sleep for a week in the arms of her love.

"I want some action on that…" A gruff voice mumbled next to her.

Glancing with her one good eye at the mercenary that had recruited her three days ago… he'd told her to call him Spire… Tonks nodded her head as she grinned, a sight made even worse by the broken and filed teeth that filled her mouth… no male would ask for sexual favors from her. She was all for Harry.

"Tell me bout it." Her voice was heavy with scorn. "Thought we might seen some action by now… you said it was a good gig…"

The captain of her mercenary squad, the Blood Takers, Castor Troodmal chose that moment to walk up and look over the two of them. Though normally one to stand with the wizards and witches of his group, Tonks had been surprised when the elder Malfoy had approached him earlier to join one of the closer rows…at least to the third row from what she'd been able to spy.

"It is." Her captain barked. "Suit up and get ready. We're going to create a diversion so that the Dark Lord can get his people into Hogwarts."

"Right on!" Spire cheered, his eyes lighting up at the chance to kill.

Tonks just nodded. "When do we leave?"

Maybe there'd be a chance to contact the Order… to send out a warning that there was an imminent attack on Hogwarts coming.

It was not meant to be. Circe protect you Harry… be safe!

Troodmal smiled wickedly, his eyes holding the promise of pain. "We leave immediately."


	19. Hard Truth

A/N: Wow… I went so long without posting… hell… without writing anything. Hope you all missed me as much as I missed you. I'm still enjoying all of the reviews and suggestions.

HARD TRUTH

Leaning his head back onto the cushions of the couch, Harry tried to let some of the tension that had the muscles in his neck so stiff melt away. He'd tried a hot shower, the dampness of his hair betraying how short a time ago it was, but nothing was really working… nothing at all. Closing his easy, he tried to enjoy the fact that he had skipped going into Hogsmeade today, allowing for him to be left alone now in the Gryffindor common room with some peace and quiet… all of the first and second years giving his a wide berth.

Sighing, his mind refused to cooperate and images flashed through his head; some good, some bad… all non conducive to him relaxing. Harry gritted his teeth as he shifted positions on the couch, trying to get comfortable, to enjoy the fire in the hearth… sure, he could have gone up to his bedroom and stretched out on the feather mattress or even just to the Head common room that he shared with Hermione, but both required movement and that was not in the description of being lazy.

He wanted Tonks, Harry admitted to himself. Needed her, actually. He needed to hear her laugh and to feel her hand holding his. Throwing his arm over his eyes, wishing for a quilt to pull over him, Harry realized that he hated Hogwarts now… all of the reasons for his being here were gone or now over. The broken relationships and hurt feelings, all of it. Even Tonks was missing now, off on some mission for the Order. And he had the horocrux.

What was keeping him here?

Giggles and whispered conversations from near the stairwell up to the girls' dormitory interrupted his unsuccessful attempt to nap… dinner was still over and hour away and the students off to Hogsmeade were still not due to return for another good thirty minutes or so. Sitting up, Harry mock scowled at the three second year girls that were involved in looking at some magazine. He smiled watching all three of them blush at his attention, then run up the stairs to their rooms, safe from his gaze.

Sighing aloud, he stood and stretched, the bones along his shoulders and lower back cracking in obvious relief from trying to be cramped onto the small couch… though it was perfect for his younger school days, he had grown too tall to fit. It was a sobering thought, getting bigger… growing older. New images flooded into his awareness, memories of brighter, happier school days with Ron and Hermione… of learning new spells… being forced to study, wishing rather pointedly that they were playing Quidditch rather than pouring over old text books.

It was in the quiet moments such as these that he could admit to himself that there was a hole inside of him, a pain that all of the love Tonks offered him could not completely fill (no matter how hard she might try)… a space that had been reserved for his two best friends. Grimacing, Harry lifted the leather bag that held the fifth horocrux, not letting it out of his sight for a moment, and attempted to banish any more memories from interfering with his current life and choices.

Harry took a last look over the common room, his thoughts suddenly were of leaving. Maybe for good. It would be easier on so many people, the ones that loved and cared for him, if he left… no more painful reminders of what had been and what was lost. He could quickly grab Draco from his date with Hannah… something Harry still did not understand nor approve of… then a quick jaunt to Professor McGonagall's office regarding the discovery of the jewel that had been in Dumbledore's things. He could even be magnanimous and allow their help in destroying this last one before the nearing confrontation with Tom.

He moved towards the portrait of the Fat Lady, the longtime guardian of the Gryffindor tower, when he had to quickly move out of the way as it came open. Dancing to the side, he was ignored as several students… two third year boys and one fourth year girl that he didn't recall immediately upon sight, as they started yelling out his name.

"Harry!"

"Has anyone seen Harry Potter?"

"We need the Head Boy!"

Rolling his eyes, Harry moved over behind where the three were frantically searching for him. "Guy? What's up?"

All three turned immediately at hearing his voice. Harry started to actually worry that this wasn't just another incident of Peeves tormenting the younger students at the apparent relief on all three youngsters faces. In the pit of his stomach, it was like a chunk of ice had suddenly materialized.

"What's wrong?"

"You're needed downstairs." One of the boys answered out of breath. "There's a fight or something going on."

"What?" Harry scrunched his forehead. "Why not just get one of the professors? I'm sure that…"

"The headmistress specifically asked for you… she said that you might help explain what was going on." This from the girl.

Nodding, Harry took a moment to carefully shrink the leather bag and jewel to be safely put into his pocket, before he motioned for the three to escort him to where the situation was apparently happening. As was his usual routine, as Harry walked behind the three students, trying to ignore the strange looks they kept shooting back at him, he checked to make sure that his wand was loose in its wrist holster and that his glasses were clear… even taking a moment to wipe them off on his shirt (mostly clean. Honest).

One floor down from the tower, Harry began to hear the sounds of something going on… the noise being similar to that of many people all taking at once. As he considered that something apparently big was going on, louder shouts, obviously in anger, broke through the other mass of voices.

The ice in his stomach suddenly was a glacier. There was a fight going on… something loud and public and in danger of quickly becoming a situation. Fighting back his own rising emotions, realization that there were only a select few students that McGonagall would have called him for, he quickly picked up the pace. Harry passed his guides, their destination obvious, as he stormed down the stairs and moved down the second floor corridor.

Students were everywhere, all clamoring for a good view of the excitement. At first, Harry tried to be polite, to ask people to move… but that didn't work, everyone was too jealous of how much they could see, not wanting to give up even the tiniest of room to anyone that was late in witnessing the coming event.

Deciding that enough was enough, Harry began forcing people to move. In a way, his actions could have been something of an attraction for the students, all looking for excitement and gossip, but everyone was too busy watching what was in front to pay attention to what was happening behind. His heart racing and emotions flaring, Harry decided to forgo even the appearance of using his wand and simply flicked his hands to the side, the magic forcing people out of the way.

Ignoring the cries of protest, Harry cleared a path for him to easily navigate. Even as people started moving voluntarily for him, there was still some difficulty getting through the throngs of students, many of them still egging on whatever confrontation seemed to be looming.

Once near the center, Harry was brought up short to find several professors and teachers trying to restore order, not the least of which were the three Heads of each House, as well as the headmistress (still acting as Gryffindor's Head), although much to no avail. Catching Minerva's eye, Harry met her gaze with his own, a silent question passing between them, before a slight movement of her head directed his vision to what was waiting.

How he had initially missed it was beyond him. Standing several feet away were those people that had made up his world, his whole of existence, before July… though if he'd been told back then that he would be confronted with a situation such as this now, he'd have laughed… nothing could ever bring he and his friends to such a point.

How wrong he'd been.

Ginny was on the floor, her left cheek already starting to swell, most likely from a hit, and her nose and lip were bleeding. Standing over her protectively were both her brother, Ron, as well as several girls including Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. On the other side of things, Hermione was being forcibly held back, her eyes wild, by several of her friends, not the least of which were Lavender Brown and the Patil twins.

Directly across was Draco Malfoy still under the Jay Flemming disguise that Tonks had helped him put together. Of course he'd be here… excluding that he had been out with Hannah earlier, fate just had to dictate that Mlafoy would be here. Harry grimaced at the smirk on the former Slytherin's face, his presence an unwanted distraction… especially if he was going to just stand there.

Harry ignored the screams and yelling. With students all around crying out their desire for the fight (as it apparently was) between the two girls, the professors all calling for the children to leave… excluding those few teachers that were vainly trying to interfere with the conflict. Then there was Hermione, her ravings at it "all being Ginny's fault" or something along those lines, as well as the young redhead's adamant pleas that "it was not."

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath and ignoring the chaos, the room fell silent to his ears as he centered himself, allowing for his magic to find life… a snake of pure energy that lived inside of him, its sweet whispering to just let go and become a true part of the universe always beckoning. Calling at the power that was his by birth and by destiny, Harry opened his eyes and stepped into the fray.

Not counting Draco, it was Ron that first noticed that something had changed. Though hard-pressed by his little sister to hold her back _and_ keep himself somehow between her and Hermione, his gaze swiveled around the room until they settled upon Harry Potter… and Ron knew that everything was either about to get a lot better or a whole lot worse. As if Ron's gaze was the signal, everyone that had not already realized that Harry

Hermione paused at her struggle to get out from being held back, her gaze still seeing red though it was slowly fading, as she watched Ron and then Susan and then so many others all pausing, their gaze moving off to the left. Unsure if it was a trick or not, Hermione took a chance and moved her eyes to the side… to find Harry standing there, his face furious and his whole body radiating power.

Shaking her head, Hermione could not pull her gaze from him, afraid of his anger… it was suddenly so much more than she could remember seeing ever before… and after July, that was saying a lot.

Lavender and Padma seemed to realize that their friend was no longer struggling and took the opportunity to move between her and Ginny. Although they released their tight hold, neither of them or Pavarti were stupid enough be caught unaware if Hermione decided to follow through with her earlier threats.

"Finally." Headmistress McGonagall stated into the harsh quiet that filled the hallway, especially after the level of noise that had seemed to be there only moments before. "All students are to report to their dormitories immediately."

As everyone slowly started moving away, Harry's voice cut through the mutterings. "Except for you eight."

No one needed to look back to know whom he was talking about, his eyes were alive with green fire, the glow enough to burn you to ash. There were several sympathetic looks that were shot all around, many falling on Harry himself, though to anyone else's sight, he ignored it all. Several teachers also looked to try and stay, though they too were eventually ordered away… the headmistress not wanting any more to be around than absolutely necessary.

"Harry, I…"

"Quiet!" Harry roared, his magic seeming to back that single word, and Ron fell silent.

Looking around, Harry glanced at McGonagall. In response, she simply arched her left eyebrow, her mouth in a thin line. Taking that as it was his show… especially since she'd called him to deal with it, Harry nodded once in acknowledgement and then faced those that had been his friends… his allies… and his support since the first day of school.

Harry looked over at Ginny. "Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

At the shake of her head, his gaze traveled to Hermione. "And you?"

"No, Harry."

"Good."

Moving his hands behind his back (primarily to hide the shaking, but also to prevent them from killing everyone where they stood), Harry sighed and looked over the group. At seeing Draco still standing there, leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes.

"You were not told to stay."

"And I'm supposed to follow you why?"

Harry grinned evilly. "I could say that I'm Head Boy…" At the look on Jay/Draco's face, Harry nodded. "Or I could talk."

Ignoring the strange looks that were passing between everyone else, excluding Jay/Draco and Harry and the headmistress, Harry shrugged. "It's your call."

"Do you two know each other?" Susan asked, confusion clearly written across her face.

"No." Harry and Jay/Draco said at the same time, their eyes locked. The hallway was quiet as the two stared each other down, the battle of wills one that very few in attendance understood… until finally the pretend Ravenclaw dropped his gaze.

Nodding, Harry smiled. "I'll send Hannah to the library to find you once we're done." The quick flash of indignation was barely noticeable before Jay/Draco nodded and moved away.

Hermione carefully watched as the young man shuffled towards the stairs. Even beaten, his gait was arrogant. Self-assured. She shook her head as she remembered no one with such audacity except for Draco Malfoy when he was…

_Draco!_

Hermione wanted to mentally kick herself for not realizing that Jay Flemming was, in fact, Draco Malfoy. It all fit… Harry's unusual alliance with the Slytherin. And alter, the sudden decision to return back to Hogwarts… but with only Tonks in tow. Of course, Harry would have never left Draco alone… not with the only two truly light wizards left in the hunt being stuck in the school. They needed a way to watch him.

The rest of the room seemed to remain clueless, although Harry watched the calculating look that ran along Hermione's eyes. He knew how she thought… her mind just one of the many things that he loved about… No. Used to love about her. In that moment as Draco walked away, Harry knew that Hermione had finally figured it out.

Sighing, Harry turned to look at Hannah. "Sorry about that, but he didn't look like he was involved and I want this taken care of. I'll get you to your boyfriend just as soon as I can."

Her cheeks slightly flushed, she nodded. "Okay."

"So… who's first?"

No one answered. Everyone was suddenly very quiet, auspiciously avoiding his gaze. Harry rubbed at his forehead.

"You know… there are important things going on. Terrible things. I had hoped that those that were aware of what is happening would try to make my life a little easier…" At his words, several students looked up, puzzlement clearly read in their eyes. Harry smiled. "But that is neither here nor there… so… Lavender."

At her name, the blonde looked up, her gaze wary. "Yes?"

"What's going on?"

"Well… I …" As the attractive Gryffindor glanced guiltily at Hermione, Harry mentally made a note of her actions.

"Yes?" He prompted.

"There was a… well… argument going on. I was trying to stop it."

"An argument?" Harry split his gaze between Ginny and Hermione, both of whom looked like they'd been at each other's throats. "What started this… argument?"

"I don't know." She wouldn't meet his eyes.

Harry nodded. "One week detention."

Her response was immediate as she looked up at him, her eyes wide. "What! Wait…"

He pointed over to the wall. "Stand over there."

Hanging her head, Harry rolled his shoulders. "Susan?" She met his gaze. "What started this… argument?"

It was only for a second, but Harry watched as her eyes flickered over to Ginny before she looked at the floor. "I don't know."

"Two weeks detention."

Everyone started at that, even McGonagall, as Harry stood there, an oak… well, an oak radiating so much anger and magical power that no one was sure they dared argue.

After Susan walked over to sit quietly next to Lavender, the two girls refusing to look at one another, Harry moved his eyes onto Hannah. "Are you going to tell me?"

Hannah squeaked as she looked at Harry, her eyes wide. "If I don't answer?"

Harry shrugged. "Detention."

Looking between Hermione and Ginny, her gaze then turning to the two girls already having been punished with detention, she took a breath. "I'm sorry. I don't know what started the fight."

Everyone winced. Harry refused to smile. "Fight?"

Hannah Abbott waited. Harry didn't make her wait long. "Detention. Three weeks."

"Harry…" As Hermione spoke, Harry's green eyes met her brown ones. "I started the fight. Stop punishing everyone. Blame me."

"What was the fight about?"

Silence. Harry watched his ex-girlfriend carefully, but she sat there, her eyes watching him.

Nodding, Harry looked at Padma. "I didn't ask who. I asked what." The Indian girl looked suddenly very, very nervous. "What started the fight?"

"I don't know."

Well, if he was going to give them one thing, it was that no one was willing to break. "Fine. Four weeks detention."

After she had joined the others along the wall, Harry turned to Ron. "What was the cause of the fight?"

Ron crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze dark. "Don't know."

Harry smiled sadly. "Five weeks detention. That includes Quidditch."

At the pronouncement, even McGonagall seemed flabbergasted. Ron looked completely gobsmacked, his eyes suddenly wide open and his mouth working, although no sound would come out.

Harry simply raised his eyebrows. "Changed your mind?"

Ginny had watched it all dispassionately, her heart just not believing what she was seeing. There was so much anger… such… disappointment in his eyes. Ginny knew that her face was blushing in shame, her face lowered to the ground as Harry took her brother's passion away from him… his only outlet since everything had fallen apart…

Because of her.

"Harry?"

At her words, she felt the room go still. She finally looked up, almost fearful of what she would find. Harry stood there above her, though she was sure he never moved from where it all had begun. Nervously wiping again at the blood that refused to stop trickling out of her nose, she sat up and moved to stand.

Her brother was there instantly, his arm around her back as he helped her stand. Ginny chose to ignore the pain in her ribs…

"I'm what started the fight."

"Gin…"

"No, Ron. You don't know what's going on…" She smiled at her brother's concern, though she was terrified of what he'd be like once the truth came out. Ginny watched as he glared at Harry before moving back. She turned back to face Harry. "It's my fault."

"Miss Weasley." The headmistress' voice was clearly disappointed, but everyone seemed to almost ignore her.

"You caused the fight?"

She nodded at his question.

"And?"

"And what, Harry?" She asked innocently.

Tell him!" Hermione's voce brought her back to reality, to the moment, as she moved her gaze away from Harry and looked at her former best friend… the woman whose life she probably destroyed.

Ginny frowned. "I think… no. I'm pretty sure that I'm the reason… my love for you… that those cookies got left in your room at the Burrow because I wanted to break you guys up. You and Hermione."

Ron watched Harry reel from the verbal blow… the sudden pain of it hitting The-Boy-Who-Lived full force. It was enough that Ron remembered why he and Harry had lost their friendship… that his sister had destroyed everything. He finally closed his eyes… his sister had broken that thing that he had treasured most.

"You put them there?" Harry finally asked, his voice quiet.

Ginny shook her head. "No. Not like that. I didn't want to drug you, Harry… some love spell that would fade with time."

Hermione was standing, her gaze accusatory. Ron suddenly felt bad for helping fend her off from Ginny… once again, choosing the wrong side.

"You little bit…" Harry held his hand up and Hermione stopped in mid word, although there was no doubt as to what she was going to say.

"You wanted to break me up with Hermione?"

Ginny felt the tears start to fall down her face. "Yes."

"But you didn't actually put the cookies in the room?"

"No."

"But you know who did?"

Ginny took a deep breath. "I think so."

"You think so?"

At her nod, Harry looked at everyone who was standing around him. "And you told this to Hermione?"

"Yes."

"And that started the fight?"

Pavarti looked like she might say something, but held off at his look. Ginny's eyes were pleading, the wetness of the tears falling across her stained and bloodied face. Harry steeled his resolve. "Well?"

"No… see…" She gulped back a sob. "It wasn't like that… it's… it's hard to explain."

"Try." Ginny looked up to see Ron now standing there, his own face having to fight off the anger that was filling him up as his sister's words continued to go on. "You meant to force me and Hermione together so you could have Harry?"

Ginny broke down then. "No… not then… see… it was…

No one moved while Ginny brokenly and disjointedly told her story. Harry stood there, his features cold and his frame unmoving as the sister of his once best mate… the sister of his heart, spilled her guts and secrets to the assembled group. He never knew when the tears began to fall; only that he involuntarily wiped at his cheeks and realized that they were wet.

Everyone was silent, the insanity that a stupid bet over a childhood crush could tear apart so many lives… could break apart friendships and so much more. The silence was deafening when she had finally finished, her petite body wracked with sobs as she knelt on the floor.

"I'm so sorry… Harry, please… I-I-I'm so… so… s-sorry."

Harry ignored the girl on the floor, his eyes raking across everyone until they fell upon Hermione. Whatever anger she'd felt earlier, it seemed to have dissipated with the youngest Weasley's confession. Wiping at her face, she turned and faced the love of her life.

"Harry…" "Hermione…" The both stopped and looked at one another, their lips tugging upwards.

"You first."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry that I hurt you over all of this. It's not that I hate you… that I can't stand to be around you."

"Really?"

Nodding, he hated how much her hopeful smile meant to him. "I never had any clue as to what was going on…I don't think anyone did." Ron shook his head at Harry's look. "So, for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Oh, Harry…" Hermione brightened. "I'm sorry, too. For everything. For all that you've had to go through… for everything…."

"I have the last one." Harry said suddenly. Everyone looked confused for a moment, when suddenly Ron and Hermione both looked up in surprise, their eyes wide. Headmistress McGonagall missed the admission as she was over with Ginny. "This all almost over…"

"Harry…" They both spoke at once, their voices desperate.

He smiled sadly then, his eyes not hard any longer, although the pain of the three of them standing together still created a tightness in his chest that was too much to ignore. He fought through it, forcing himself to strong, as he shook his head.

"We've got it. It's good."

Hermione glanced nervously around at where everyone was in relation to the three of them, her face growing frantic. "They're dangerous, Harry. You need help… you need me… us, I mean… you need us… especially with Tonks not here."

Meeting her gaze for a moment, Harry finally turned away. "Well… considering I have all of the facts, now." Everyone turned to look at him. "I think I will turn over Ginny's punishment or lack thereof to the headmistress.

"As for everyone else… one week of detention to everybody." He pointedly looked at Lavender and the others as he said this. "Starting tomorrow."

"Harry?"

He glanced back over his shoulder at Hermione. "No fighting in the halls. No uses of magic outside of class or without the presence of a teacher. You of all people should respect the authority of the rules, Hermione. Everyone gets one week of detention… I'm sure Hagrid won't come up with anything too bad."

At the unasked question in her eyes, Harry paused. "Nothing's changed. I'm with Dora now, Hermione. You know that… and just because she's not here doesn't mean that everything is going to change… no matter how much you… or I… might want it to."

Leaving behind the silence left in his wake, Harry resumed his leaving and headed up the staircase towards the Gryffindor tower… he felt the need to shower and change before dinner in the Great Hall.


	20. Something Wrong

A/N: I am not the greatest at "Hagrid-Speak" though I gave it my best shot. If it's terrible, just let me know and I'll either cut him out of the rest of the story somehow or I'll just give up on his way of talking. I think I do pretty well with Luna and Dobby… just not a huge Hagrid follower, I guess.

This is a much shorter chapter than any other… shorter even than my first chapter. I needed to put some things in play… and, in truth, this chapter was actually a part of the previous, but it was already my longest chapter by far in comparison… so I'm adding it here.

We've got some action, though not a lot… this story is still about the emotional drama and angst. I just wanted to set some things up.

Thanks… and keep those reviews a'comin…

O X O X O X O X O X O

SOMETHING WRONG

"'ave ya considered sayin' yar sorry?"

Ron wiped at the sweat beading along his forehead, his body protesting at the forced manual labour that he was currently performing as a part of his detention for the events after Hogsmeade last night. Pushing the shovel back into the hardened earth, the late autumn early winter weather not making the job any easier, he looked up at the Care of Magical Creatures professor and Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts.

Sighing, Ron leaned heavily upon the garden tool's handle. "Many, many times, Hagrid. In every way that I could think of and that I could afford. One, even, that I couldn't afford." He ended with a chuckle.

The half-giant nodded sagely as he puffed at the pipe in his mouth, something close to the size of a child's version of a saxophone. "'ell… Not dat I'm much with women, Olymp'ya forgiv'n me, but I still think yar best chance wit the lass is ta say yar sorry."

"I guess so… but she kissed me." At the larger man's sharp look, Ron blushed. "Well… Luna did. I was walking her to the tower and, pretty as you please, she kissed me."

"Wot's da problem then, 'onald?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "She says I can't have all of her…"

Tuning the giant out of his head, Ron picked up the shovel and continued his job at digging holes along the outer edge of Hagrid's garden. In any other instance, especially considering how his own family had a garden for vegetables, Ron would have thought that he was preparing for a new row or two of vegetables… but the holes being dug were nearly one foot by one foot square.

Shuddering, Ron turned his mind back to the task of digging, never mind what was being planted… although he couldn't help but think upon a blue-eyed blonde that enraptured him completely… nor the fact that his own sister and brothers had led to her now being unwilling to commit to him and any type of relationship.

"Whoever thought of forcing kids up at the crack of dawn to do detention should have their wand snapped and then made to clean every bathroom in the school by hand." He complained aloud.

"And if it was a muggle and they were used to doing it by hand?" Lavender asked.

Ron looked up to find that Hagrid had vanished and Lavender, Hermione and Susan were all walking towards him, each helping to carry a large box (without using magic, of course). He couldn't help feeling amusement and that it might just be worth it to be up at this ungodly hour to see those three in the state they were in. Lavender, normally the epitome of perfection, looked horrible with her hair in a severe bun and her clothes and hands stained with dried mud. Susan and Hermione were similar in appearance, although Hermione's curly hair was completely wild with frizz.

"And if you even think of laughing, Ronald Weasly…" Susan's eyes flashed.

Ron shook his head. "Just glad to not be alone digging anymore."

"Oh, we're not digging." Lavender responded with a smile. "We're bringing the seeds."

At her words, Ron watched as they set the box down and began removing the lid of the wooden crate. Unable to help himself, the single redhead in the bunch looked over their shoulders curiously. He felt his eyes roll as he realized that there were twelve bowling bowl sized seeds in the large box.

"Crimy, but what are those?"

Hermione Granger smiled. "Well, if you had ever paid attention in Herbology…"

"Let's just assume I didn't."

"Surprise, surprise."

Ron glared at Lavender before grinning cheekily at the brunette as she sighed. "If you'd done your own homework once in your life, you'd know that these are Suc Seeds." At his blank look, she shook her head. "Honestly, Ron. Suc Seeds become Purifier Plants… they're used to help keep muggle technology emissions like gasoline fumes and smog away from magical areas. It helps to prevent a mutation of magical effects."

"Oh." Ron tried to sound interested, but knew that he failed; Susan and Lavender both were rolling their eyes at Hermione's explanation.

Shaking his head, he frowned back at the ground. "Well, let's throw these seeds in and let me get to burying them. Soon done, sooner I can try to get some sleep before class."

They had managed to carefully set four of the giant seeds into ground, with Ron following behind them to cover them in the hard soil, when Susan's gaze went high over everyone's head… her eyes turned towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Susan…" Lavender chided. "Stop daydreaming and get back to work."

"There's smoke."

"Smoke?" Hermione asked as she absently wiped her dirt covered hands across the old shirt she'd worn for detention. "Where?"

The young Bones girl pointed. Even Ron stopped shoveling dirt to pause and look back at where the other three students were all looking. Holding his hand over his eyes to block the morning sun's rays from blinding him, he could see the large plume of black rising somewhere in the distance.

"Isn't that towards Hogsmeade?"

At Lavender's pronouncement, Hermione was suddenly moving to try and find Hagrid. In the pit of her stomach, she felt that something was indeed wrong.

O X O X O X O X O X O

Covering his mouth as he yawned, Harry blinked his eyes several times and tried to find the spot where he'd left off in the text book sitting on his lap. Without even looking, his hand moved to the small table to his left and picked up the mug of coffee… his fourth this morning, and took a sip, enjoying the jolt of caffeine that was introduced into his system (not to mention the several spoonfuls of sugar he always added).

He hated being up this early, but when Hermione had woken him up as she left from the Head Girl suite located next to his, she'd been extremely loud… almost as if she'd been doing it on purpose. Once out the portrait, he'd attempted to roll back over and go back to sleep, but that nagging doubt that he'd been too hard on them… her especially, kept him from returning to the wonderful dream he'd been having.

Frustrated that she'd gotten to him, Harry had quickly taken a hot shower and then decided to get a jump on some of his studies, especially if he was going to try and destroy the horocrux sometime this week… he'd need to have his schoolwork ready in case of missing classes.

And what gave her the right to be upset? He'd followed the rules, acted like Head Boy. Hadn't she been the one complaining that he'd not been taking his duties seriously? It's not like it was his fault that she was the one involved in the situation that he'd finally dealt with? Was it?

Disgusted with himself, Harry finally closed the book and threw it across the room, the resounding thud as it landed on the floor was not nearly enough to satisfy the surge of adrenalin that had flooded his system.

How could she be mad at him? At him! McGonagall backed the detention… it wasn't his fault that the two of them were fighting… fighting over him! And who is she to act all superior? Tell me! She gets detention for acting like… like… well… like me or something and then she actually decides to make me suffer because she got caught! She bloody chose Ron over me…

Harry pulled himself out of his mental rant as he realized he direction of his thoughts. All of that building emotionally charged energy seemed to drift away as he sat back on the couch, not ever really remembering ever standing up.

That's what it all came down to for him. Hermione chose Ron… forget the lust spell and the muggle drugs and whatever else. He blamed her for not being strong enough to choose him over Ron… and he couldn't forget that.

It wasn't fair. "It's not fair…" he whispered… unsure of exactly what part he was referring to.

Shaking his head, Harry moved quickly up to his room and back, his hands carrying both the Marauder's Map and his Firebolt. Flying always improved his mood… and with Tonks still missing, over a week now, he'd been flying more and more.

Seeing that it was clear in the corridors, around the tower, Harry quickly moved out, ignoring the admonishing look from the portrait as she was forced to open up for him. He smiled at her and started jogging, his desire to be out of the castle and up in the air driving him. Occasionally, he would glance down at the Map, checking his progress… so far, all was clear. Nearing the front doorway of the school, Harry took a moment to check the Map again… too much open space had to be crossed between where he was and the large doors.

He stopped abruptly at the movement that was suddenly all over the Map, dots listing almost all of the professors were moving about, moving frantically around. Something was wrong. His eyes quickly darted about the enchanted parchment, certain names he had to find, needed to find.

Luna and Draco were both still in their respective dormitories, as were Neville and the other Gryffindors. Ginny was in the headmistress' office, her punishment being different than everyone else. But it was that Ron, Hermione and the others, all serving detention that he assigned, were on the grounds. He smiled at seeing Hagrid's name near Hermione's… but they were running.

Something was definitely wrong.

O X O X O X O X O X O

She woke screaming, her eyes wide and unfocused.

Locked within her vision, the chronological order of what Luna was seeing compared to how events would unfold didn't match… couldn't match. That there could be such horror and destruction, only to be followed with such happiness…

But that he died, but there he was afterwards, strong and smiling and proud. Luna felt her heart soar at the smile on his face and the light within his eyes.

But was it enough to overcome the darkness?

To beat death?

Hands slapped at her. She was shaken and doused with water. Her roommates and others, both boys and girls, every Ravenclaw. Each took their turn at trying to wake her from the nightmare, to stop her from seeing that which no one else could see… would see. Not yet.

She wept that it was coming and so many would see it then… and for so many, it would be the last thing that they ever saw.

She was awake now, but she continued to scream.

O X O X O X O X O X O

Ginny was running like she'd never run before.

Detention was boring, having to write one hundred lines (I will not fight in the hallways) a sitting and then to help McGonagall go through the books in the small alcove behind her office. She wasn't allowed to touch the books, but rather had to wait for the Scottish witch to pull the book out, describe it in detail and have her write down all of the information. Worse, in Ginny's mind, was that she had to agree to be Obliviated if what she wrote down was too dangerous.

All of that had ceased to matter when the hearth had exploded in flames, bathing the small office in the eerie green glow that the fire always seemed to produce, and the head of Madam Rosmerta from the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade was suddenly there. No one had a chance to respond before the pretty woman started screaming that they were under attack.

McGonagall had wasted no time at the words. "Ginny! I need Mister Potter. Now!"

Ginny had sprinted out the door, barely registering that the headmistress was calling for the other professors, all the while trying to calm Rosmerta down and to promise that help was on the way.

It was still dark inside the castle, even as the sun was rising higher and higher from the east. Trying to control herself, to push out all of the doubts and hurt feelings that had swelled over her since her whole world had fallen apart, she pushed herself to not imagine that every shadow held a danger that was just waiting to swallow her, to take her away, but focused on getting to the Head dormitory.

The muscles in her legs were burning as she finally reached the top floor, the Fat Lady sleeping at her station to guard the Gryffindor tower. Bypassing her, Ginny skidded to a halt in front of the Head Dormitory's entrance, a portrait Tilly Toke standing there in all his glory (a very, very tiny bathing suit) and the defeated dragon laying on the sands of the beach.

"I need to speak with Harry Potter, sir."

Tilly Toke looked at Ginny, his skin very dark from having been under the sun for as many years as the portrait had been at Hogwarts and smiled. "Dear damsel, I would but wish that I could honour thine simple request, but that neither the Head Boy nor Head Girl is in at this time… Hey! Ungrateful brat!"

Ginny wasn't listening, her heart now racing in time with her legs as she contemplated where Harry could be. Hermione was at detention… Harry's fault… but where could he be, especially at this hour? Not paying attention to anything or anyone else, she quickly woke the Fat Lady and prayed that maybe Harry was in the Gryffindor tower instead.

Where is he?

O X O X O X O X O X O

As the portrait closed and the Fat Lady closed her eyes again, the small rat slipped out from the dark, shadowed corner that he had been hiding, the silver paw carefully covered, as the young girl he'd watched so hungrily for so many years at the Weasley home vanished.

There would be time for that type of fun later… Peter Pettigrew had a job to do.


	21. All We Need is a Miracle

ALL WE NEED IS A MIRACLE…

Life just absolutely sucked at times. What had started as a simple plan to escape the confines of the school, to maybe try and enjoy a few laps around the pitch on his broom and clear his head before the coming problems of the day, had turned into a lucky break on catching what appeared as a quick dawn time raid on Hogwarts.

Shaking his head, Harry scanned the Marauder's Map gripped tightly in his hands as he watched the names that kept appearing on the edges of the magicked parchment. So far, there had been nearly twelve names that had appeared on the outskirts of the Hogwarts grounds. The stars must have been aligned properly, the names no where near any students or teachers… though Hermione, Ron and the others that had been sent to Hagrid for detention were the closest and nearest to the coming danger.

His immediate thought had been to sound the alarm, to let Headmistress McGonagall alert the Order, to counter the early morning strike, but two other names had caught his attention, suddenly making him hesitate in what he should do.

Tonks' name was mixed in with the approaching force of strange names. Was she a prisoner? Was she in disguise? It was just too early to tell… and if this was Order business then he needed to stay out of it.

The second name was worse. Peter Pettigrew. It was only the fact that Harry instinctively checked for all of his close friends… the constant worry that Voldemort would try and get him by hurting those he loved the most. Wormtail was up near the Gryffindor Tower. Worse, though, was that Ginny's name was directly next to his.

Sighing, Harry shook his head ruefully. It figures that the three women he felt closest to were all suddenly in the path of danger.

He looked up sharply as footsteps started drawing closer. He cursed himself for the lapse as his eyes drew back to his name, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever was approaching. Flipping to the folded edge, he felt a breath that he didn't even realize that he'd been holding escape as he saw Remus Lupin's name on the dot that was fast approaching his. Looking up, he moved out of the shadows so that he could catch the older man's eye before he passed.

"Moony?"

The older wizard looked haggard, his eyes amber and clothes rumpled, as he jerked back, the wand in his hand raising quickly towards where Harry stood. "Harry?"

Nodding, Harry smiled. "Merlin, but I'm glad to see you. We got trouble."

"Trouble?" Remus looked around. "What do you know about what's going on? Did Ginny find you?"

"Ginny? No… she's up ion the tower."

Remus' face scrunched in confusion. "How do you know what's going on if Ginny didn't find you?"

Silently, Harry held the Map up. "Trust me. I know we've got trouble."

The relief flooded into the last Marauder's gaze before it turned dark. "What is it saying?"

Harry gestured where towards the moving ink on the parchment. "Invaders heading in from Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest."

Remus was nodding as he scanned the Map. "Oh, yeah. Minerva has called in reinforcements. Moody and Shacklebolt are on their way, plus a few aurors."

"Yeah. But Wormtail's here too."

At the mention of his father's betrayer, Harry watched as Remus gripped his wand tighter, the knuckles on his right hand nearly glowing white. "Peter? He's here?"

"Yeah. Gryffindor Tower."

Remus looked ready to bolt, but remained where he stood, his body nearly quivering with suppressed fury. "Why are we standing here? We should…"

"Sure. Sounds good… but what about the invading force?"

Remus ran a hand through his graying hair, his face seeming to age several years in the span of moments. "I'm not sure…"

"Look." Harry shoved the Map into his friend's hands. "Stop Wormtail. You're one of the few I trust to deal with this… but Remus." The older man stopped as Harry's hand grabbed his arm. "Be careful. I need you to make sure Ginny and the other students are safe. That's top priority. We can get Peter later if we have to."

Harry never knew how angry as well as how proud he was at that moment. "You are so like your parents, Harry."

The younger man grinned. "Yeah, yeah. Just be safe, you old wolf. I still have to kick your arse for trying to steal my girl."

Harry could have laughed at the look of embarrassment that flooded the werewolf's face. "You… y-you?"

"I know." Harry turned to move towards the front door of the school. "And while I forgive you, you know that by the old Marauder's code, I get to even the score. My decision."

Remus shook his head as he chuckled. "Okay, cub. I'll accept it… but that mean's you have to come back safe, too."

Harry just waved as he started running in the opposite direction, his heart a little lighter knowing that Remus was going to keep Ginny safe. That just left Hermione, Ron and Tonks for him… that's all.

That's all, he thought grimly.

O X O X O X O X O X O

"Lookie, lookie." Troodmal smiled evilly, his gaze causing Tonk's stomach to roll in worry. "I see something fun to play with. Should be easy pickings since that leashed giant of theirs is outta the way."

Turning her own gaze over to where the leader of the Blood Taker's leader was, she silently licked at her upper lip to see Hermione, Ron, Lavender and a few other students all outside of the school. Considering, she carefully weighed her options as she glanced back at where Spire, Hordz and the others in the mercenary squad were all chuckling. This was not going to be good.

"We haven't got time to play with the little ones. Enough for that later after we make sure to divert attention from what the others are doing." She was rewarded by a grimace from her boss and the sound of grumbling behind her at her words. "How bout we take 'em hostage and then have fun at our own leisure."

Castor grumbled but nodded, relief flooding through Tonks' entire being at pushing off an impending disaster. "You're right, Litsir, damn you."

"But, boss…"

The heavily muscled mercenary shot a look back over Tonks' shoulder. "All of you… listen up. Leave the girls and the boy alone. Stun 'em and leave 'em. We'll pick 'em up on our way out. Got it?"

Several men grumbled yes, but that seemed to make Castor only angrier. "I said 'got it?'"

"Yes, sir!" Everyone called back.

"Good."

Tonks nodded at the older man's look. He grimaced once as he lifted his hand. "We attack now."

Praying that the gods above were in a good mood, Tonks stood along with the rest of the mercenaries as she aided in the attack on her former school. Running to keep up, she lifted her wand, the quick fall of tears leaking from her eyes lost as the sweat began to bead across her face.

O X O X O X O X O X O

Cradling his arm, not able to take the time to consider whether it was broken or not, Ron kept his good hand tightly gripped on Hermione's arm, dragging her for all he was worth, the burning in the muscles of his legs a secondary concern. Finding somewhere safe was paramount.

The attack had come out of nowhere. One minute, they were looking around for Hagrid and wondering at the smoke in the distance, the next, rough looking wizards were popping up everywhere, sending spells in every direction.

Susan had been hit right off… a Stunner, if Ron had identified the spell correctly. They'd been caught flatfooted… a fact that made him ashamed to call himself a wizard. Lavender had thrown a shield spell over herself and the fallen girl, her eyes blazing in fury at being attacked. He and Hermione both had taken off, the need to find a professor or someone… Harry came first to mind, in the hope that they could find backup. She and Ron had barely made it ten steps before Hermione had cried at being hit from a hex.

Things were looking desperate… Hermione more of a hindrance than help as Ron tried to keep them both moving ahead of their attackers.

"Ron. Go! Leave me." She cried.

Sparing a glance to his best friend, Ron felt sick to see that at least seven wizards, all hard and dangerous looking, were quickly gaining on them. He couldn't see Lavender any longer… she'd probably already gone down.

"No."

Hermione dug her heels in, her face set in anger. "You've got to warn everyone. Sound the alarm. I-I'll try and hold them off for as long…"

"Not going to happen, Herm." He stopped, too, his wand arm lifting up to fire off several hexes at the approaching enemy. "I'm not leaving you."

Hermione turned, casting several spells at the targets that kept drawing closer. "One of us has to get away."

Ron grinned as he cast Protego to stop a wayward bolt of magic. "Then it's going to be you, cause I'm not facing my friends and family to say that I left you behind to these animals."

Crying a quick shout of victory as her casting struck one of the invaders, Hermione glanced over at Ron from the corner of her eye. "We won't last. You know that…"

"I'm not going, Hermione."

"Ron… you have to. You have to get to Harry…"

Ron smiled as he knocked another person down... they were holding their own fairly well. "Not going to happen. He'd kill me if I let anything happen to you."

Whatever retort she might have said was lost as the six remaining attackers seemed to understand that they were going to be a bit more of a challenge, three of their number downed by a couple of students, and were now spreading out, flanking them from both sides. Ron lifted his wand to fire at the bigger one, possibly the leader, when a cry to his right brought his attention away from what he was doing.

"Lavender!" Hermione cried.

The blonde Gryffindor was being dragged by her hair, her face already showing signs of heavy beating. Both Ron and Hermione seemed frozen, their eyes wide at seeing a friend so roughly treated.

Ron felt his blood boil. "If you've hurt her, you bastards…"

"Language, boy." Spire laughed from the stone cover he'd erected to protect him. "You talk a good game, but we all know you're all alone out here… your little friends are going to be warming our blankets tonight. Why don't you drop your wands and come out here and we'll go easy on ya…"

Ron made to stand, but Hermione's hand on his arm stopped him. "No, Ron. Please…"

"Hermione… they've got Lavender. Susan, too."

"I know… but we can't give up. You know that."

She watched as the redhead dropped his gaze, tears trailing the outer edges of his cheeks. "I hate this…"

They were suddenly in each other's arms, the desperation of their situation not lost on either one of them. Things were bad… and unless there was a miracle, it was only going to get worse.

"C'mon, boy. We're not going to wait all day." Castor laughed.

"REDUCTO!"

Three of the mercenaries were sent several yards away as the earth seemed to explode from beneath their feet… the world deciding their very presence a blasphemy against all that was right and true. Hermione and Ron both peeked from their hiding spot to see the remaining attackers scrambling, their gestures wild and erratic from the surprise attack.

"W-w-what happened?"

Shots of magic, all different colors and shapes, were being hurled in every direction, the confusion apparent. Ron couldn't help his jaw drop as two more attackers were dropped, one losing his arm while the second seemed to literally implode into a ball of fire… powerful magics piercing any shield or other feeble attempts to halt the coming onslaught. The few remaining invaders diving for cover.

Hermione shook her head, her brown eyes wide, the carnage almost more than she could witness. A cry from above her drew her attention, a streak of black against the orange tinted morning sky… several curses and hexes flinging out towards the enemy that had them pinned down.

It was Harry.

"Our miracle." She whispered.

O X O X O X O X O X O

Minerva all but ran through the portrait of the Fat Lady, her heart pounding in her ears as she led the aurors that had finally arrived to provide support. It had been nearly an hour since the initial call for assistance… the threat of an invasion of Hogwarts.

She began to direct the ministry trained wizards to fan out, when the scene before her brought her up short, the absolute carnage of the Gryffindor common room causing all rational thought to vanish.

"Lord and Lady above." The headmistress whispered, her hand clutching her wand shaking.

She thought she'd been prepared for the worst, the students of her house having escaped, all screaming of wizards attacking one another for little regard for life and limb. Mister Finnegan and Mister Thomas had both been adamant that their former Defense professor, Lupin, had been one of the men involved, but no one had a clear idea of who else was involved.

Looking around, the aurors moved out, one standing close to her while the other two, neither ones with names she could immediately recall, went for either staircase. She waited patiently… the only comfort she afforded herself, the invaders having been repelled earlier by a brilliant air attack from Harry Potter.

"We've got a live one!" A voice called from the girl's side of the dormitory.

Wasting not a moment, the elderly witch moved into action as she and her auror guardian rushed to the steps, neither waiting for the last auror to respond from the boys' side. Taking two steps at a time, Minerva rushed up towards where the yell had originated. It took a moment, the auror next to her insisting that he double-check each room that they passed.

"We may need a mediwitch…"

Minerva stopped as she reached the sixth floor dormitory, her eyes taking in the shattered furniture and chaos of the room. The telltale signs of blood were everywhere, as the overpowering stench of copper filled her nostrils.

The room reeked of death.

From where she stood, she could only see the back of the blonde-haired auror, his robes blocking any chance of glimpsing where he knelt. Knowing she had to see what he was talking about, she stepped closer, her gait unsteady as she prepared herself for whatever might be the source of the wizard's concern.

For a moment, Minerva was confused, her brow drawn tightly over her eyes as her mind seemed to refuse to accept what she was seeing, the insanity of blood and… and…

"Goddess…" was all she could say before she felt her stomach immediate react. McGonagall turned and moved as quickly towards the corner of the room as she could before spilling the early morning repast she'd enjoyed… tea and a scone, was vomited over the floor.

To their credit, neither auror in the room said a word as she continued to expel everything in her stomach, the sickness only adding to the stench of the room. Taking deep gulps of oxygen, she flicked her wand over her shoulder and the window across the room flew open, the welcome scent of the clean morning air helping to alleviate the roiling inside of her.

Finished, she stood, negligently wiping her face with the back of her hand, and turned back to where both aurors were now examining the scene before them.

"W-what happened?" She asked softly. "Who… who is… who is that? Is it a student?"

The blonde auror shook his head, not meeting her gaze. "Looks to be an adult male. Around six foot. Graying brown hair…"

"Remus?"

The other auror that was still standing looked back at her, his eyebrow arching slightly. "Remus Lupin?"

At her nod, he turned and considered, before he slowly nodded. "Could be."

Harry was going to be devastated. Sighing, she drew closer, though she kept the aurors' bodies in the way between her and… Lupin. "Can we tell what happened?"

"Not sure." The blonde auror spoke into the still air. "There was definitely a fight… something happened here. We got heavy spell damage and some hard wounds… and what is that?"

She wasn't sure what he was referring to, but the other auror looked up at him, his face slightly green. "Looks like silver…"

Minerva felt her head start to swim. "Remus Lupin was a werewolf."

"That would explain it…" The auror answered in a detached voice. "Heavy silver damage, though what weapon would be shaped in such a way…"

"Peter Pettigrew has a silver hand… it was created by You-Know-Who."

At her words, both aurors spared her a glance before regarding each other. The auror standing considered her briefly. "Did you know that a known Deatheater was here? A ministry wanted man?"

She quietly shook her head. He grimaced. "We can only hope Lupin injured the bastard enough that we can track him down."

"Guys?" All three of them turned to find the third auror in the doorway, his face pale.

"Jemison. Report." The dark-haired auror spoke, his voice gruff.

"Sir. I've got… sir, I just…"

"What is it?"

McGonagall almost prayed that the man… Jemison, wouldn't say it. Whatever horror he'd found, that he could keep it to himself for a moment longer.

"I've got a young lady… a redhead. She's over in the boy's side. She won't let me near her. Keeps asking for someone named Harry."

A redhead? "Ginny? Ginny Weasley? Is she okay?"

Jemison shrugged. "Don't know. Is that Arthur Weasley's kid?" At her nod, the man seemed to wilt. "Headmistress… you may need to be the one to see her. I doubt she's going to let any man near her…"

Any man? It took a moment for her mind to catch on to what the auror was saying. Like a bolt of lightning, the implication of what he was implying seemed to hit her. "She was… she was raped?"

She watched as he nodded. "Looks like it, though only a mediwitch could tell for sure. "She's in a bad way…"

Minerva didn't wait, couldn't wait, any longer. Her strength returning though her heart felt shattered, she brushed past the man in the doorway and moved with a speed bellying her advanced age, years she felt hitting her at this very moment, her goal only to reach the poor girl.

The men watched her leave. Jemison, not wanting to go back and deal with a traumatized girl… the nightmare that something like this could happen to his own daughter filling his thoughts, sighed and looked at the other two.

"What've we got in here, Paul?"

Paul Whitsworth ran a hand through his blonde hair. "This poor bloke… a werewolf by the name of Remus Lupin, we think. He was one of the good guys… he went down."

The nameless dark-haired auror still standing nodded. "The headmistress claims Peter Pettigrew did this."

"And he got away?" Jemison asked.

"Maybe." Paul replied. "But I think this guy got some licks in if what I'm reading on his wand is any indication."

"Bad?"

The auror in command sighed. "Bad enough."

Jemison looked back over his shoulder, wondering at how the old witch was handling the girl. Shaking his head, he looked back at the room. "I'll start on the report… anything else I should know?"

"Looks like the victim left a message."

"A message?" Jemison wanted to draw closer, to be stronger, but couldn't. He hated himself in that moment, but he couldn't. The last words of a dying man. "What message?"

The dark-haired auror was shaking his head. "Looks like he wrote it in his own blood… took it from his own body."

"What does it say?"

The auror finally turned and looked directly at him. "It says 'Forgive me, Harry.'"


	22. Punishment

A/N: Well… let's see how this one goes.

Keep reviewing.

O X O X O X O X O X O

PUNISHMENT

The press of bodies all around him was enough to make him sick… the constant sniffles and crying of the younger students, though the whispered conspiracies and false words of comfort and support by the older students were just as bad, and he was stuck in the middle of it all. You'd have thought that some of the adults, the aurors and professors and other teachers might have stepped in, tried to say something to ease the oppressive aura of fear that permeated the entire Great Hall… but nothing. Everyone stood around, worry and concern plastered across their features.

The morning had been particularly nice… the warm bed provided for him as a Ravenclaw definitely a step up from the cold, dank dungeons for the kids of House Slytherin, although the security was much more lax. He'd been dreaming of a world where he had been the star. No Harry Potter. No Hermione Granger. Or even a Ronald Weasley or any of the other hero wannabe. He had had the power… the fame and the masses of the wizarding world waiting on his every whim.

The perfect utopia had shattered. Luna had woken up screaming… a shrill cry that had been like knives digging into his eyes. Everyone had had a go at trying to wake her, to rouse her from her nightmare, but it was all for nothing. Even after Professor Flitwick had been brought in, his eyes full of concern for the blonde girl. Nothing worked… nothing until the alarms within the school, protective wards set to sound off whenever there was an attack imminent.

That had shut the loon up.

From there it had been easy, candy from a babe, to learn that a small invasion force or wizards were attacking. Under the guard of the Ravenclaw Head of House and a few of the older students, everyone was carefully evacuated to the Great Hall on the ground floor… along with the students from Slytherin and Hufflepuff. His glamoured dark gaze rather than ice blue had shot across the huddled masses… Gryffindor nowhere to be found… at least, not then.

It had been over an hour now. The students of Potter's house had eventually been brought in, ruining the calm that had settled over the room, all talking of a wizarding fight, magics of destructive power and lethal intent marring their golden and crimson decorated rooms.

The school had definitely been under attack, whatever invasion having been diverted. Beaten back… and just as he knew it without having to look, neither Harry nor the other two of his little trio were anywhere to be found.

"Mister Flemming."

Draco looked up from where he sat to hear his alias being called. Sighing, he stood quickly, ignoring the questioning glance from the students nearest to him, and made his way over to where Professor Flitwick and several aurors were standing.

"Yes, sir?"

The diminutive wizard smiled sadly. "Headmistress McGonagall has requested that you go to the infirmary. It seems that your presence is required."

Sighing, he nodded curtly and made his way to the door. As he passed the throngs of students sitting wherever there was space, he noticed Padma Patil caring for her sister, Pavarti… a blood-soaked cloth pressed firmly against the pretty girl's forehead. Passing through the doors, he was met by Kingsley Shacklebolt, the tall, dark-skinned auror and, according to Harry and Tonks, the recently name second of the Order of the Phoenix.

The man curled his lip at his approach. "Good. Come along."

Draco fell in next to the tall auror, choosing silence rather than his normal trademark retort. They both moved quickly through the hallways, the staircases eerily still, their way unimpeded until they finally reached the doors to Madam Pomfrey's domain.

"Sir!" The two ministry personnel standing to either side of the entry snapped to attention as he and Shacklebolt drew nearer.

"At ease, guys." The black wizard responded. "I've brought Mister… Mister Flemming, as requested by the headmistress.

Both men grabbed the handles and pulled, the heavy doors moving easily to allow them entrance. Draco didn't acknowledge either of them, his movements confident, even if he felt butterflies dancing around in his stomach.

The room was the picture of perfect controlled chaos. He couldn't see the Hogwarts mediwitch, but several other wizards and witches, all wearing the green robes of St. Mungo's, moved briskly around the room, every bed filled with a body. Absently, he began to chew on his lower lip as he was guided through the room towards the back section of the large room, the area sealed off by privacy screens.

Ignoring the moans and whispered conversations occurring in the beds to either side of him, Draco took the initiative and moved to the edge of the screens, worry suddenly filling his being at what might be on the others side.

Headmistress McGonagall was the first person he recognized, her face pale… her features finally telling her true age rather than the much younger appearance that he had seen his entire life. She was pushing her hair back from her face, the gray hair having escaped its normal bun, while she listened carefully to what a Healer was telling her. Not seeing a reason to wait, Draco continued farther into the room… McGonagall the only person to even recognize his appearance.

"Yes. Finally." She sighed. "Mister Potter wished to speak with you."

Draco turned over to the far corner of the room where the headmistress was pointing, his eyes finally making out several people in the darkened corner. With not just a little bit of trepidation, he moved over to see what was going on.

Harry Potter was the most easy to recognize, his hated adversary always identifiable. Potter looked rough, his clothes showing signs of spell residue, his hair wilder than he could remember it being of late. As Draco drew closer, the signs of worry and grief seemed etched across his face.

With not the least bit of compassion, Draco rolled his gaze away from The-Boy-Who-Lived to the person he was talking to: Hermione Granger. The mudblood was leaning against the bed, her left arm wrapped carefully in bandages and her leg was bare, the shimmering afterglow of a magical salve still reflecting the torchlight. She'd definitely been involved in the fighting.

Behind both of them on the bed was a blonde-haired girl. Draco wasn't quite sure who she was, but from the amount of bandages across her visible body, as well as the number of potions resting on the shelf above the headboard, she had definitely been hurt badly… another casualty of Gryffindor courage, most likely. Against the wall, several other people… no students… were talking quietly, none that Draco could easily put a name to.

"Jay." Harry's voice brought him back from his inspection. This close, Draco was surprised to find that the other boy seemed almost defeated, his eyes red and his shoulders sagging… the weight of the world too much for him alone. He always suspected Potter for being a weakling…

"What do you want, Potter?"

Harry rolled his eyes. Sparing only a quick glance towards where Granger was watching the two of them carefully, Harry sighed. "I need you to tell me about Luna."

"Lovegood?" Draco asked, no need to fake his surprise.

He nodded. "Unless you know of another Luna."

Grimacing, Draco shrugged. "She woke up, stuck in some type of nightmare. Not sure what happened after that. We got separated once the alarms started sounding."

"She's being cared for in another part of the castle." Hermione sighed.

Draco rolled his eyes. "If you know that, why is he." Pointing at Harry. "Asking me what I know?"

"You should be thankful…"

Draco snarled. "Thankful? Thankful? Listen, Granger…"

"Enough." Harry sighed. Harry shot a look of annoyance at Hermione, his eyes betraying the fact that he hadn't wanted Hermione in the conversation, but events were not his to control. Not now. Returning his gaze towards his reluctant ally, Harry took a deep breath. "Voldemort has started making moves. Wormtail made a move inside the school."

"Pettigrew?" Draco felt his skin grow cold. "Did he find…?"

Harry shook his head. "No. No chance of that. I had it on me the whole time."

"Thank Morganna." The former Slytherin breathed, his heart now being given permission to start up again. "Then what's this all about?"

Hermione looked at both Harry and Draco, her eyes filling with tears as she carefully stood. Draco watched as Harry moved to help her stand, but she waved his offer of assistance away. "I'll go see… I'll talk to Molly and the twins. Surely they know something by now."

Harry nodded once. "I'll try and meet you there."

She smiled, her heart in such turmoil at the moment. On one hand, the events of the morning were still too fresh, her mind was in shock. They had almost been killed… everything had almost been lost forever. But she was alive. Harry had saved her. Hermione wanted to throw her arms around him and cry, to hold him and tell him that she loved him… that life was too short to let waste away. And she asked herself if he would turn her away…

Chiding herself at thinking about her own miniscule love problems at a time like this… especially after… after…

"Is that okay?"

Harry's question brought her out of her melancholy thoughts and her heart swelled at the look in his eyes. If she tried hard enough and long enough, she could see her Harry still there… the boy from before.

She nodded. "I'll see you then. I'll let everyone know."

Harry watched her limp across the room. She spoke a brief word to the headmistress before making her way out of his line of sight, vanishing around the privacy screens.

"If you're done ogling her arse, Potter… what in Merlin's name is going on?" Draco drawled.

"Look…" Harry's eyes burned like green flames. "Wormtail attacked Ginny… tried to rape her, you slimy git. Remus tried to stop him, did stop him, but he's hurt… hurt bad." Draco watched as the raven-haired boy paused as he sought to control his anger. "H-he probably won't make it another hour… the day not at all. Silver poisoning."

Running a hand trough his hair, Draco whistled softly. "He got away?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"Is that why your pet Weasel…"

Draco never got to finish the thought, as the air seemed to suddenly leave his body, a magical grip closed over his throat. Harry had never moved, never even blinked. He felt his eyes widen as his chest began to burn.

"Never again, Malfoy." Harry whispered harshly. "Not today. Not now. Not ever. Not again." Draco could only stand there, dying, as Harry's face moved in closer. "I accepted your oath… your promise to aid me. In return, I'll do everything I can to help you survive after the war, but I will kill you myself if you continue that thought."

The pressure around his neck was suddenly gone. Draco began gasping at the air, the sweet nectar of life never being more welcome. Glancing all around, he noticed that no one seemed to have noticed the exchange. In that moment, Draco learned an important lesson… the first, never to underestimate Potter again. As to the second… maybe Potter was worthy of respect.

Maybe.

"Fine." He croaked out the word, ashamed at how easily Potter had bested him. "Fine. So… where is Weasley?"

Harry considered Draco momentarily, honestly amazed that the boy could be that stupid. "He's with his sister and family. Where Hermione went… she needs all of the support she can get."

Draco fought to keep a smile from his face. "Even after the fight yesterday? I'd have thought…"

"You think?" Harry laughed. "You thinking. A novel concept."

"Look…"

Harry waved his hand. "Friends are there for one another. They may fight and say hurtful things, but a true friend will be there when you most need them."

"So why aren't you there with them?" Draco asked.

He watched as Harry opened his mouth to say something, another cheeky retort, but said nothing. Draco wondered if Harry would ever say anything, but finally the boy shook his head and shrugged. "Maybe I'm not a true enough friend."

Any advantage Malfoy might have looked to gain in that brief moment of weakness faded when a sudden onslaught of voices on the other side of the sectioned off area pulled their attention. Three or four Healers were talking in hushed but urgent tones with McGonagall. Harry felt his stomach drop when McGonagall lost what little color remained in her face and her eyes, haunted, quickly moved over to where they both stood.

Harry wasted no time moving away from "Jay Flemming" to where the older witch was fidgeting, her hands nervously wiping at her robes.

"Minerva?" Harry asked. "I-is it Remus?"

Draco moved up to where they both stood, ignoring the glance of annoyance of the headmistress' face as the woman looked at Harry. "No. Mister Lupin is still in critical condition… we're not sure how much longer he has."

Harry drooped, his strength leaving him as he closed his eyes in a silent prayer. Centering himself, he looked back at the former Transfiguration professor. "What is it then?"

"I'm not sure exactly how to say this… I can't…" She licked at her lips in worry. "Harry. One of the attackers you struck down… the three under guard…"

"What?" Harry felt that nothing could be worse than the witch he looked up to like a grandmother acting so hesitantly. "Tell me."

"It's Nymphadora." She finally let it out, her posture showing clearly that she expected an outburst from Harry. "Miss Tonks just reverted to her natural form. The Healers say…"

Whatever else she was going to say was lost as Harry apparated away in that instant, the crack of the wards around Hogwarts groaning in protest as the young man twisted the laws of magic to his own benefit… the only goal on his mind to reach the woman he loved…

The woman he may have killed.

There was a quick implosion of air moving to fill the spot he just vacated, the expressions of disbelief etched firmly in the faces of Jay Flemming and Minerva McGonagall. They both stood mutely, staring at the space where Harry Potter had been standing a moment previous.

"Goddess above." Minerva stepped back, her eyes wide.

Draco nodded as he considered what he'd just witnessed. The amount of raw power that Potter had at his disposal was truly terrifying. He sat quietly, not sure as to what he should be doing or where he ought to go. The headmistress solved that riddle for him.

"Mister Flemming." He looked up into her disapproving gaze. "I think you might want to let Miss Granger and mister Ronald Weasley know what has occurred."

"Is that wise?" He questioned. Draco felt no fear of reprisal or punishment for questioning the witch's order, his being here a firm condition set by Potter.

"I believe so… yes. If you please, Mister Flemming."

Draco nodded to her as he moved past her. "Fine… but when it all hits the floor, remember that I was against it… for the record."

He never looked back so he never saw the calculating look that crossed the Headmistress' face at his words, nor did he hear the quick promise she made herself to see that he either came completely into the light or she would take him out herself… especially if he hurt Harry Potter.

O X O X O X O X O X O

_That two such distinct and opposite emotions could fill her so completely all at once was yet another moment of proof in her life since meeting him as to how extraordinarily amazing Harry Potter was. Tonks ha been certain that everything was going to be worse than she had ever considered… the attack on Hogwarts working out so much better for the dark side than anyone in the Order or the Ministry might have ever guessed._

_Even with Castor's orders to leave the students alone, Spire and the others had quickly begun firing off hexes at the girls… the promise of young flesh as spoils of their work to much to resist. Tonks had been incapable of stopping them as she watched two of the girls go down quickly, the other Blood Takers giving chase to the two that immediately took off to warn the castle._

_It was only her usual run of bad luck that it would be Ronald and Hermione who she was now having to chase after... the leader of the mercenaries she'd joined under orders from McGonagall… demanding they take them down hard and fast._

_Tonks hated to admit being impressed with her lover's ex-girlfriend, Hermione Granger proving not for the first time that she was a good match against any wizard or witch that stood against Harry. There had been no way to warn the two that she was not out to hurt them, so she could only hope to help herd them away from the rest of the mercenaries… the girls left behind would have to wait to be saved for later._

_And… of course, her attempts at protecting the two unsuspecting students had led to her own defeat. _

_Tonks had cast a spell to stun them, missing them intentionally as well as throwing off the aim of a mercenary that was trying to flank them from the south. The plan had worked, but then Hermione had sent out a quick charm that shattered the stonewall that Tonks was hiding behind. There had been no time for a shield, and she had been forced to take the sudden blast of rocks and debris that literally blew up right in her face._

_Out of the battle, Tonks had been forced to focus all of her magic on holding her current shape, the instinctive need to revert to her original appearance strong whenever she was hurt badly… and she had been. Instead, she forced the change to remain even after she fell unconscious. _

_For a second, she had considered dropping the guise and calling out to them, maybe it would be safer, but then she saw how Hordz was crawling near to where she lay, his own face covered in blood from a cutting hex he'd taken._

"_You able to stand?"_

_Shaking her head, she smiled. "Not today."_

_Whatever response the heavy mercenary might have spoken was lost as her ears were suddenly filled with the roar of the earth exploding, the singsong of magic… powerful magic drowning out anything else. Turning her head, ignoring the pain in her neck, Tonks looked over to see a quick blur in the sky… Harry had joined the fight._

_So she was filled with a hope like nothing she'd ever felt… but there was also the fear numbing dread, too, as she realized that he was casting those spells at where she was lying, as well._

_He saw her as the enemy._

_Tonks tried to yell. A scream that would let Harry know not to attack. Surely he could see that it was her… he could always tell when it was her. _

The last thing she could remember seeing was the harsh glow of red as the spell hit where Hordz had been… his scarred face openly afraid, as the ground beneath her suddenly tossed her away. There was the feeling of flying, the air whipping all around her, before the pain of landing hard against something… the ground maybe, brought agony to her entire being and the world went dark.

It was something that only a hospital or infirmary could do… the smell of antiseptic and potion-forced cleanliness assaulted her senses and brought her out of her sleep, the call of having to relive those last few moments again and again enough incentive for her to not try to go back to sleep, but instead fight to wake up.

Blinking rapidly, she could tell that there was light above her… a glow ball or something; the illumination too constant, not the flickering of an actual flame, and the tingle in her back teeth of magic surrounding her proved that it wasn't electricity. Her eyes eventually adjusted, the room suddenly coming back into focus. For a minute, she idly wondered if she'd sustained an injury to her head, that she might have a concussion and the world was supposed to be blurry, but finally the ceiling above her snapped into focus and she sighed in relief.

She tried to speak, to catch someone's attention… there were definitely people around, the chatter of voices coming from somewhere close by, but too distant that she could clearly make out what they were saying… but her lips were cracked and her tongue felt thick, heavy. She needed water.

Turning her head to the left, Tonks found a figure slumped in a chair next to her bed. He was turned so that she could barely make out the tattered robes he wore, plus there was the splatters of… was that blood? …all over him. Recognition finally came as she could make out the pitch black of the hair, so much longer than it had ever been before, of the person waiting on her.

It was Harry. _Her Harry._

Smiling, she tried to move her left hand to touch him, to let him know that she was here, but she was restrained. Grimacing, she tried to move either arm, but she carefully strapped down… what was going on?

A groan brought her eyes back to where Harry sat, his head twisting as she heard the telltale crack of his neck. He must have been sleeping like that. Tonks wrinkled her nose in disappointment that he'd slept in such an awful position. Didn't she teach him better than that? She sat quietly, being restrained prevented her from touching him, her gaze never leaving where he sat.

Tonks watched as he stretched, his mouth opening wide in a yawn, as his green eyes moved over to where she lay, waiting. As his eyes fell on hers, the love and everything that she could see clearly there, she felt her heart swell.

"Dora!" He practically screamed. "Thank Circe you're awake. Oh, thank you…"

He was crying. Tonks couldn't understand the tears… tears for her, but she knew it must be okay because she could feel tears threatening to form in the corners of her eyes. She licked at her lips, wanting so desperately to say his name… to swear her love to him over and over again.

Harry seemed to get it, her problem, as he moved quickly out of her line of vision beyong the privacy screen and spoke with somebody. He soon came back with a clay mug of something in his hand. Greedily, she opened her mouth as he carefully put her lips to the mug's edge, the sweet thought of water filling her. At the taste, she wanted to scream at him as a potion of some kind filled her mouth. Tonks tried to pull away, but Harry stayed firm, the mug continued to tilt upwards.

"I know, love… I know." He smiled. "Tastes horrible. But I need you to get better and Poppy says this stuff will do the trick…"

Tonks considered for a moment the possibility of spitting it back at him, but the haunted look in his eyes was there. He was terrified… scared. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to get past the taste and drank everything. Once finished, Harry smiled encouragingly at her and moved to set the cup down.

Licking her lips again, the moisture in her mouth a welcome relief, she smiled. "Missed you…"

Harry smiled. "I missed you, too."

"How are Hermione? Ron and the others?"

She hated how a shadow passed over his face. "We can talk about everything later… for now, everyone is as fine as they can be. Minerva has already stated that when you're well enough, you're going to have to be questioned about what happened."

Tonks nodded, hating how silence filled the space between them.

"Sorry 'bout how I left…" Talking was not easy, her throat refusing to help in how she wanted to convey everything to him.

She watched as he nodded. "Yes. You should be. Definitely going to have to punish you for that one."

"Punish?"

He moved back to his chair, although he scooted it closer, his hand grabbing hers. "Yes. Punish. You may be at it for weeks… maybe months."

She loved that he could make her smile and the pain would melt away… that, plus the potion probably didn't hurt, either. "Years?"

Whatever Harry might have said at her cheekiness, his hand caressing hers so lovingly, she would never know as the curtain giving her and Harry privacy… wherever she was, Hogwarts, she supposed… was suddenly drawn back.

"Well… well… well…" Tonks closed her eyes at the voice. This could not be happening. "You seem much better, Nymphadora. And with your boyfriend by your side…"

Harry turned to look at the intruder, but remained still as Tonks squeezed tightly at his hand.

"Imagine my shock at being contacted by the Ministry to hear that you had been injured. I rushed here as soon as I learned where you were and was then denied seeing you, Headmistress McGonagall telling me that you and Mister Potter were not to be disturbed until you woke up."

"I can explain…" Tonks tried to speak, the scratchiness of her throat giving an air of desperation to her voice that she despised.

"I don't want to hear it." The other person interrupted. Harry could only gape. "To think that you were off gallivanting with Harry Potter of all people… I just cannot believe it."

"But…"

"No, Nymphadora. You will not push me away now... I demand some answers and I demand them now!"

Harry had had enough. Sending an apologetic look at Tonks, he stood, his eyes blazing at the person verbally attacking his lover. "What is this all about? Who do you think you are? "

Tonks closed her eyes, the feeling of being all of four years old again sapping her of what little strength she had. "Harry… love. Please stop… you're only going to make all of this harder."

"Harder?"

Nodding, Tonks wished she were unconscious again. "I'd like you to meet my mother, Andromeda Black Tonks. Mum, this is my boyfriend, Harry Potter."

She watched as Harry turned to look at her. "Your mother?"

Andromeda Tonks smiled curtly, her eyebrow arching delicately as she regarded her rebellious daughter. "Indeed."


	23. Now What?

A/N: Sorry that it's been a while.

O X O X O X O X O X O

NOW WHAT?

Tonks wanted to vanish. To literally disappear. Unfortunately, she knew that even if she was at full strength, there was no possible way to apparate out of Hogwarts. Sighing, she shot her gaze over to wear her raven-haired boyfriend stood, still facing off against the one person that could legitimately ruin everything for them.

"Mum…"

Andromeda Tonks turned her gaze towards her daughter, the eyebrow over her right eye gracefully arched in question. "Yes, Nymphadora?"

The younger witch winced at the tone, memories of her strict childhood rearing back, no matter how much she tried to tell herself that she was now an adult and could make her own way in the world.

Unfortunately, her attempt at reasserting some type of control was taking too long as the formidable woman decided to take over… like she always did.

"Well, such a fine mess you've gotten yourself into now." Her voice was crisp. "Not only are you no longer an auror… employment that your father and I were against from the very beginning; but to add to it all, I have to learn that you are apparently… involved, yes, involved with Mister Potter…"

"Mrs. Tonks…"

"No, Mister Potter." Andromeda interrupted. "I believe that I was speaking." As Harry fell silent, the woman nodded. "From Witch Weekly, no less. My FLOO was bombarded with fire calls as absolutely everyone that I have every known decided to inform me of the sexual habits of my only child."

Refusing to succumb to the blush she knew wanted to appear, the metamorphmagus sighed as she shot a silent apology to her lover. "I'm sorry that you had to read about it in the paper, mother."

"Sorry? You're sorry?"

"Yes, mother. I apologize that you were inconvenienced with rumours of my personal life and…"

"Rumours?" Her mother wrinkled her nose as if smelling something distasteful. "So. You and Mister Potter are not in a relationship?"

"Mrs. Tonks." Harry spoke up again, waves of his ire almost palpable. "I'm sure that what might or might not be happening between your daughter and I is any of your business."

"Really?"

Harry nodded at the older witch's gaze, refusing to show weakness. He'd faced off against Voldemort several times now. How bad could the mother of his girlfriends actually be?

Turning to look back at her daughter, Andromeda dismissed Harry with her very posture. "I wish to speak with my daughter alone."

Harry stood straight then, his eyes hard. "I don't think…"

"I doubt you've ever actually thought, Mister Potter." The sister of Narcissa and Bellatrix cut him off again. "And while I am sure what you want is important to you, it bears no weight here and now."

"Now listen…"

"Harry." Tonks whispered, closing her eyes against the accusatory look she was sure he was giving her.

"Tonks…"

"Please, Harry. Let me talk to my mother."

Cracking her eye open, she watched as Harry looked at her, his expression clearly hurt at being dismissed. After watching her for a moment, he finally nodded once and brushed past her mother, anger radiating from him in waves.

She watched as her mother moved over to take the seat that he had occupied just moments ago… trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized that the room seemed so much more… empty, without Harry here.

"What do you want, mother?"

"I'm here to take you home, Nymmy." Andromeda finally stated into the silence.

"WHAT!" If she had been able to free herself from the restraints holding her down, Tonks would have been on her feet, her face in her mother's at the very audacity to suggest such a thing. "I'm not leaving… especially no where with you. What makes you think that…"

"It's already done." Andromeda responded, ignoring the Tonks was still talking. "The arrangements have been made. As soon as the headmistress and the medi-witches so you are safe to be moved, you're coming home."

"Absolutely not!" She tried to keep her voice calm, steady. "There's too much…"

Her mother sighed dramatically. "Dear, try not to over exaggerate everything. I know that you feel that you are indispensable, but the fact is that without the badge and resources of the Auror Department at the ministry, you simply are not ready to handle what is coming."

"Mum." Tonks could feel the tears coming. "Harry needs me. Things are too…"

"Harry?" Andromeda shook her head sadly. "You're doing all of this for that… that… well, that boy. I know that you were under Dumbledore's tutelage and his private mission against You-Know-Who… and I know that he had some type of, well, special bond with Mister Potter, but I will not let this joke continue."

"Mum!"

"No, Nymphadora. Not another word. How you allowed yourself to become involved with a boy, not even an adult, and so much younger than yourself." The woman grimaced. "It's done."

"He's over seventeen, mother. And what do you mean _done_?"

Her mother's lips were pressed in a thin line. "I've already taken the liberty of resigning your position as Transfiguration professor here, especially as the medical teams have all stated that you will be several weeks in recovery time."

Tonks opened her mouth, but the older woman just glared at her. "The… relationship… with this boy is over. Your father is preparing your room for you."

"But Harry…"

"Mister Potter will just have to deal with the fact that it is over."

Tonks growled in frustration as she tried to lift her arms from the restraints, to somehow free herself. She should never have gotten Harry to leave the room. "I'm not going."

She knew it sounded childish, but she was left with nothing else.

Harry… forgive me.

O X O X O X O X O X O

"Here!" Harry shoved a bag into the twins' hands, his tone cold. Distant.

Hermione watched as the two Weasley boys both flinched at Harry's manner, neither one having looked forward to the meeting that was inevitable. She watched, not sure exactly how to feel at the moment. They had been responsible for everything… all of the pain she and every one else had been forced to endure. All for a stupid bet.

Looking down at the bag, Fred forced himself to look back up, to meet the hard, emerald gaze of the young man that had meant so much to them… to their entire family.

"Harry…"

"No." His voice was harder than any hex could have been. "All because of your betting… your desire to be the big men on Diagon Alley."

"Look, mate… we really…"

"Mate? Mate?" Harry's eyes seemed to almost glow in anger. "What is it with you Weasley's, huh?" At their blank looks, he chuckled harshly. "You ruin my life, Hermione's life. Everyone that cared for you and supported you… and you think that means we get to stay mates?"

George moved closer. "It was a mistake…"

"Just take the damn money." Harry sighed. "There. Five thousand galleons. Take it and do whatever it is that you want."

Hermione looked over to where Arthur and Molly Weasley observed, both looking like their world was over. Maybe, in some way, it was. The matriarch of the family… a woman she, herself, considered a second mother (once upon a time…), broke out into tears.

"Harry."

"No, Mister Weasley." Harry briefly shot a look at the older redhead. "This is it. My last good deed… maybe forever."

Her heart broke again to see the resignation in Harry's very posture.

The love of her life looked at the two Weasley entrepreneurs. "This is it. All that you're ever going to get. You make it or break it on your own."

Fred smiled warily. "We'll make it up to you, Harry."

"We swear, on everything we have…" George added.

"We'll pay you back."

Hermione watched as Harry shook his head. "No, guys. You don't get it. This is it. All of it. There's nothing left between us. Consider it over."

"B-but, Harry…" George gasped.

"You're our partner."

"No." Harry crossed his arms over his chest, the same blood splattered robes he had been wearing earlier. "Take it all. I don't want anything to do with you or your shoppe ever again."

They both tried to argue his decision, the desperation in their voices lent weight to the sincerity of their apologies, but Harry was having none of it. She couldn't help the small amount of satisfaction she felt at seeing the two of them suffer. Hermione had known that their pranks would some day get them in trouble. She had just never expected to be in on the one that finally caught up with them.

"Harry, dear." Molly moved away from where both Fred and George had sat on the couch to approach her surrogate son. "I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am at all of this."

No one could miss the way the older witch flinched when Harry pulled back from her, refusing her offer of comfort. She felt her own eyes begin to itch with the threat of tears as Harry shook his head, some internal struggle going on as he moved towards the door and left.

Waiting only long enough to watch as Molly fell into her husband's arms, sobbing, Hermione moved to chase after Harry.

Out in the corridor, she glanced both left and right before she finally caught a glimpse of his retreating form headed back to the infirmary, most likely to check in on Tonks. It had been several hours since he'd arrived.

"Harry!" She called after him. He didn't even pause as he continued on.

Moving after him, she ignored the fact that he kept moving. Pushing past the pain of her leg, the salve having healed it to where she knew that she was well over seventy-five percent, she jogged across the stone floor and caught up to him just as he reached to turn a corner.

"Harry."

He looked at her then, finally pausing. Hermione took a moment to catch her breath, even such a short exertion enough to wear her out. Harry seemed to wait patiently as she slowly got herself under control.

"H-Harry… I… I'm so sorry."

The raven-haired man just looked at her as he absently ran his hand over his head. "Why are you sorry, Hermione? They did this to you, too."

"I know." She sighed as she looked deeply into his eyes. "But for you to have to lose even more…"

"Thanks, I guess."

She nodded as he turned back to the doorway. As he moved, she pulled her shoulder upright and girded her Gryffindor courage. "Can I… can I come with you to see Tonks?"

For a moment, she took pleasure in the evident surprise on his face, noting that he seemed genuinely shocked. "Are you sure, Hermione?"

She nodded. "Please. No matter anything else that has happened, I would never want her to be hurt."

Harry continued to look at her, his gaze seeming to look into her soul. She hoped that he found her worthy. Finally, he smiled, though softly, before he pulled open the door and gestured for her to enter before him.

Gulping, Hermione moved into the infirmary, her gaze immediately drawn over to the doorway that the elves had created for Ginny to have some privacy. It had been there where Draco had approached her earlier to tell her that Harry had almost killed Tonks. Promising herself that she'd check on her friend (was she still that?) later, she moved across the room top the next newly created space, as Harry directed her.

Reaching the door, she paused as Harry moved in front of her and turned the knob slowly, his left hand rapping gently against the wood to alert the occupants inside that he was coming in.

There was no response that she could discern, but everything seemed in order as Harry opened the door and stepped into the room. Hermione moved to follow, but ran into him when he stopped still in the middle of the doorway.

"Tonks?"

Looking around him, she could see that the room was empty. Stepping to the side, she allowed Harry to return back out as her eye took in all of the details that she could find. The room had recently been occupied, proof in the messed up bed covers and the empty mugs and vials on the bedside table.

Maybe Tonks had stepped out… but, everything she had been led to believe was that Tonks had been seriously hurt and couldn't move.

A chill ran along her spine. Moving to catch up with Harry, she found him looking around all of the privacy screens in the infirmary, his actions showing a rising level of nervousness.

"Harry…"

"I can't find her, Hermione."

"Maybe we should ask Poppy." She offered.

Harry came up short as he looked at her before turning to find the nurse in question. Hermione looked around the room, her gaze alighting on the school nurse juts a second before Harry did. She shook her head as she had to move quickly to catch up to where the Head Boy was nearly running.

"Ignoring the protests and looks of displeasure shot his way, Harry moved to where the woman was carefully running her wand over Lavender Brown, the expression of happiness on her friend's face enough to alleviate any worry Hermione might have had.

"Poppy?" Harry called out a few paces before he arrived next to the woman.

At hearing her name called, she looked up. Hermione knew the news wasn't going to be good at seeing the expression on the witch's face. Instinctively, Hermione reached out and took Harry's hand in her own.

"I'm sorry, Mister Po… Harry."

Goddess above… no!

"Tonks…" Harry seemed to crumble, the strong exterior that everyone always saw falling away. "Is she… is she…"

"Harry."

Hermione and Harry both turned at the voice calling from behind them. Looking back, they watched as McGonagall approached, her face carefully schooled.

"Professor?" He asked.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but Mrs. Tonks removed Nymphadora an hour ago."

Harry looked flabbergasted. "Removed?"

"What do you mean by _removed_, Professor?" Hermione asked.

"I cannot say how sorry I am, Harry." Minerva offered lamely. "There was nothing that I… or you, for that matter, could have done."

Harry turned, his face dark. "Where is she? Tell me where they went."

The headmistress was already shaking her head. "I do not know, Harry. Once Andromeda got permission from the healers from Saint Mungo's, she took her daughter out of here before I could even alert you."

Hermione tightened her grip on Harry's hand. "Can she do that?"

Minerva McGonagall nodded slowly. "Technically… yes. As Tonks is not considered pure, a metamorphmagus classified much like a werewolf might be, she is not afforded the same rights and privileges as others her age."

"They think she's dark?" Harry's voice seemed to drop an octave.

"Yes… and as such, she can be held under the control of her family until such time as she is married… then given to her husband."

"Th-that's… barbaric."

Harry silently agreed with Hermione. "Why has this never been brought up before?"

"She gained some leverage as an auror, a ministry employee, but after she lost her job…"

"Her mother got control back."

"I am sorry, Harry."

O X O X O X O X O X O

"It's just the way it is." Hermione felt her skin go cold at his tone. "Vernon and Petunia were right, I guess. I'm not deserving of love… everyone and everything around me dies."

They sat in the quiet of the Head Suite. Harry had been like a zombie at the headmistress' words. She had thought for sure that he might blow up or something… but he didn't do anything. She had watched as Harry had thanked Minerva for everything and then excused himself. Hermione had for a brief moment considered staying to talk further with the elderly witch, but common sense won out and she had chased after him, instead.

Glancing out the window, she saw only an inky sky, proof that many hours had passed. The food that Dobby had brought up lay where it had been placed, untouched, as the two of them sat quietly in front of the fireplace.

Through the tears that fell, Harry finally looked up. "I-I just can't do it anymore, Hermione… I can't." She leaned over and hugged him as the strongest person in the world finally broke. "I can't do it…"

"Harry…" She whispered, her voice easily heard in the silence of the room. "No matter what has happened between us… no matter where we go, I am here and I love you."

He barked out a laugh. "Run while you can."

"I love you, Harry Potter." At his look, she smiled sadly. "I can't help it. I think I might have been born to love you. It's as natural as breathing for me."

She watched as he shook his head, but she refused to stop. "And you can just forget about those horrible people… you do deserve love. You deserve happiness."

Grabbing his shoulders, forcing him to face her, Hermione pulled him hard into a hug. Harry continued to cry. Not knowing what else to do, Hermione softly cooed in his ear and ran her fingers through his hair. She tried to ignore the beating of her heart, once again in his arms. This was not a time to think of that. Harry needed a friend. Not a jealous ex-girlfriend.

When he did finally pull back, his eyes sparkling with wetness, she found her breath catch in her throat, as their faces were so close… so very close.

"Harry…" Her stomach started to flip-flop.

Instinctively, her eyes closed as she felt something in the air change, the tension in the room altering to something so much more powerful… primal. She felt the warmth of his breath dance along the skin of her face moments before his lips met hers.

No…. It was wrong… she knew this wasn't what either of them needed, not now… but her body betrayed her as she felt her mouth open as his did, their tongues immediately moving to meet. Digging deep, she managed to pull back, breaking the kiss, her eyes meeting his… somehow pleased to see the insanity in his eyes as much as she felt had to be in hers.

Shaking her head, she fought for some control. "I can't… we can't, Harry." She swallowed. "I can't go through the heartbreak of you regretting this… not again."

He didn't say anything, his eyes dark. She knew that she'd blown it, but he surprised her. His lips came back to hers, crashing into one another as the desperation in his movement, the way he felt… to once again be in his arms.

All attempts at control were lost as she silently prayed that they… she, could survive this.


	24. Weight of the World

A/N: Sorry for the long delay. Check my profile for more info.

A/N2: I've decided to include some of DH.

DISCLAIMER: You know…

O X O X O X O X O X O

WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

Well… to say that the last couple of months had been a wonderful experience had never truly understood the dangers of that ancient Chinese Proverb: _May you live in interesting times_.

Hermione leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head in the vain hope that she might relieve some of the stress she could feel built up in her back and shoulders. At hearing the tiny snaps of her spine cracking, she shifted back into a normal pose and returned her gaze to the mountain of books that lay across the library table. She had always been a true believer in the fact that books held the answers… a lie that she had been forced to learn over and over again since that fateful night with Harry.

Harry. Harry Potter.

Had it been so few months ago that he had been her entire world?

Closing her eyes and rubbing at the bridge of her nose, Hermione took a deep breath and fought the internal battle that resided deep inside of her soul at how far she had drifted from her best friend and once potential life mate.

It had been a mistake. Kissing him, so close to his having lost Tonks. And for what came after.

Blinking away the spots from her eyes, she reached over and closed the book she had in front of her, the idea of trying to read even one more word bringing about such a rush of… what? Revulsion, maybe? That she could actually picture a future without books at the moment. No. Now all she wanted was to find a way again to rewind time and do things the right way.

Why was God punishing her?

Everything from that night had spiraled further and further out of control until she was as lost as she had first been upon arriving at Hogwarts seven years ago.

Hermione laid her head down on her arms, refusing to look around the empty library and wished, not for the first time and (as things seemed to be going not for the last).

It could have just been a kiss. A quick snog. Harry was hurting. His current girlfriend was gone and he was vulnerable… a fact that Hermione knew too well. She had been there when he'd learned that horrible truth, after all. She could have been just a friend. An ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on. No. She's let her heart just flutter and fall along with Harry. His need for contact, no matter how big of a mistake.

But to be honest with herself… she'd barely fought. Okay… truthfully… she'd gone into it willing. And from there it had degenerated to a whole new low for her.

Fine. She slept with him.

No, there was very little actual sleep involved. Try, rather, a lot of naked skin against skin, heavy breathing, exchange of bodily fluids. Cries of passion. The calling of each other's names in-between the grunting and groaning. Very, very messy, to tell the honest truth.

And absolutely everything that she wanted it to be. Sort of.

Again, Hermione felt the tears start to run down her cheeks. She chided herself for being so… such a… well… girl. It had been amazing, after all.

She had remembered nearly nothing of the induced time with Ron, a blessing she was sure. And while she had technically not been a virgin when she and Harry had been together, in her heart she had felt that she was giving it up to him… her first love. The man she hoped to be her last love.

In the darkness of the night, hidden from the rest of the world in her bedroom with the blankets twisted around them both, his arms around her as their bodies cooled, the sweat drying, she had a moment of true bliss. Everything she wanted from life could be held in that single moment. Hermione had prayed for time to stop, to allow her this one thing forever.

Life refused to answer her pleas.

Morning had come all too quickly… and it was from there that she destroyed her happiness. Destroyed it before The-Boy-Who-Lived could do it himself.

Looking back, she could see now that telling him it had all been a mistake first thing in the morning, the moment his eyes awoke to a new day, had not been her brightest decision. Sure, her words had been better than that, but he was able to understand what she was saying.

Harry had looked betrayed. Well… he did at first. She had watched as he had opened his mouth, maybe to argue, but she watched as his beautiful green eyes, sparking, had slowly dulled. She couldn't help how jealousy seemed to swarm over her… he had been so knowledgeable of what to do, how to play her body so well… and that was something he could only learn with another: Tonks.

She had felt like a fool, caught in the morning light. During the cover of darkness, it had been easy to fall along with everything they were doing together, to go along for the ride, but it was a blow to her ego when she allowed her mind to catch up with everything they had done.

So Harry had left to the safety of his room and she was left with nothing but her tears… and the realization that her heart breaking was her own fault. As she sat there in the bed, the bed she and Harry just hours earlier made love in, she could hear Lavender's mocking voice. Lavender telling her that she had failed.

And that voice was right.

Shaking her head, Hermione decided to head for the Gryffindor common room. Maybe she could talk someone into a game of Snaps or something

Walking through the corridor, ignoring the snide comments that the portraits along the wall were yelling at one another, she couldn't help but continue down memory lane since that night. To say that any progress she had made with Harry before sleeping with him was gone would be the greatest of understatements.

Her friends had been somewhat sympathetic to her plight, at first. The Patil twins and Lavender freshly released from the infirmary). Susan and Hannah, too. When Hermione had talked about sleeping with him, they had used words like mistake and rebound. Too soon, Susan had stated in a matter-of-fact fashion. That support had crumbled, though, when she explained how she had basically kicked him out the next morning.

"_You continue to amaze me." Lavender had finally stated into the quiet after Hermione had told them all that had transpired._

"_What?"_

_The gorgeous blonde had simply brushed her hair back over her shoulder, her face wincing as she tenderly ran a finger over a bandage still covering her neck. "You have to be just about the smartest dumb person I have ever met."_

_With all of the other girls nodding in agreement, Hermione huffed. "How? It was a mistake… you all agreed."_

"_It was a mistake, Hermione," Padma explained. "But you compounded that mistake with an even bigger one."_

_Susan continued to nod her head. "Going straight into his bed was bad. He has to heal some. Get Professor Tonks out of his system…"_

"_But to sleep with him and then kick him out?" Pavarti sighed. "Now he thinks you don't want him."_

"_And while playing hard to get… make him earn your love again might have worked before," Lavender finished up. "You ruined that by sleeping with him. Now it looks more like you were just using him… or letting him use you in his grief."_

"_Not to mention that maybe you don't want him."_

_Hermione could only stare at Hannah at her words. "So… so what do I do now?"_

_As the group all looked at one another, a silent exchange that Hermione seemed somehow left out of, it was Lavender that finally sighed and looked back at her. _

"_I think you're going to have to just wait for your chance to explain…"_

And it had been fairly sound advice. Supposedly. Not that she had ever gotten a chance to put the theory into practice. No, she and Harry had danced around one another, both avoiding each other. Her heart had never felt heavier as she continued to watch, as he seemed to fall further and further into some funk. After a week, she couldn't take it anymore and was determined to talk to him. Make him understand how much she loved him but was determined to also protect herself. Hermione had tracked him down to the Room of Requirement… and walked into a disaster.

What looked to be the remains of stone columns were shattered, heavy gray dust and chips of stone lay everywhere. Burn marks and spell residue was all over the room, barely an inch in any direction looked to have escaped the damage. In the middle of the room, Harry stood, his chest heaving and his clothes sticking to him from the sweat that made what skin she could see glistening. Even with the signs of several cuts and trails of blood dancing from wounds caused by the stone exploding throughout the room, it was a scene that could have fueled a thousand wet dreams.

Anyone else might have been scared. Terrified to approach the volatile scene. Not Hermione, though. She knew that Harry would never hurt her.

"_Harry?"_

_At first, she had thought he had not heard her, lost in his own world. Taking a careful step further into the room, Hermione had to pause, as his voice seemed to cut through the echoing silence._

"_It's not the last one."_

"_What?"_

"_The stone. It's not the sixth Horocrux."_

_She felt the breath leave her. "Are you sure? Maybe there's som…"_

"_No." His hard laugh cut her off. "We tested it and checked the results. So much time wasted."_

_Moving closer, Hermione drew near enough to place her hand on his shoulder. That he didn't pull away was a step in the right direction, but he also made no move to acknowledge her. Sighing, she racked her brain for some comfort she could offer. Words of comfort, that is. Sadly nothing had come to mind._

"_I was so sure that Draco's idea would be right." She watched as he shook his head and ran a hand through his messy hair. "It seemed so right."_

"_Where do we go from here, then?"_

_Harry had finally looked at her. "Back to researching the Founders, I guess."_

So… she had been forced to watch, as Harry had to suffer through the betrayal of his adoptive family… followed immediately by the pressure of seeing Professor Lupin in such a bad state. Then the losing of Tonks, followed by what he misunderstood as the losing her and then losing what he thought had been the final piece of the puzzle before facing Voldemort. Hermione had hated watching sink even deeper into despair. Nothing seemed to help. He was alone…

It had taken a lot for her to pull herself up, drawing on all of her Gryffindor courage, to finally approach him again. To maybe help him to understand that she, at least, was not lost. How he could ever think she would not choose him. She was his forever.

But fate had decided that Harry hadn't been broken enough. In the span of two days (of course, before she could tell him that everything would be okay), three more hard punches slammed into him.

First was the arrival of the Headmistress to take Harry out of Charms class, her face grave. She would learn later after searching nearly the entire castle twice over for Harry that he had been taken to the infirmary to say his final goodbye to Remus Lupin. The werewolf had fought valiantly, but the silver poisoning had been just too much in the end.

The next two would come the following morning, both on the wings of Harry's closest friend: Hedwig. The beautiful snow white owl had swooped through the Great Hall and sought out her master… his appearance that morning at breakfast had been a shock to all, everyone respecting his need for solitude and allowing him to sit quietly at the end of the table.

So it was that everyone was watching as Harry had smiled softly at the bird that nibbled his ear affectionately while he took the two letters from her outstretched leg. Hermione could tell he was upset, the way his brow drew towards his eyes, his hands shaking ever so slightly. It was not going to be good news.

And it wasn't.

It had taken nearly the rest of the week to discern the content of the letters he had so carefully read at the table. She knew that the first had been bad, as he had thrown the letter to the tabletop ignoring it for the moment while he savagely ripped into the next. It was only after reading the second that he had stood, the waves of energy emanating from him warning off any that might have even an inkling of daring approach. This time he vanished from sight for several days. Even the professors had refused to divulge where he was.

Hermione had called on every favor owed to her, every informant that she had cultivated… every possibility at her disposal. She had to know. And all of her effort had been wasted, all for naught, as it had been Harry that had finally included her into his misery.

The first had been a letter from the Weasley family. Ginny was being removed from Hogwarts for the foreseeable future due to the severity of her injuries after Wormtail's attack. Apparently, while the bastard had not made it so far as to complete the rape, the youngest Weasley had been sexually assaulted to such an extent that she was beyond any immediate help.

Ron would be returning, having been excused from classes for the duration of the family's needs, but Ginny would not. Hermione had cried, her first friend now gone. When she returned to school next year, if she did, Hermione would be gone. And when you factored in the difficulties that were between herself and Ron, as well as Harry's distancing himself from them… it would be hard for any strong bond to remain.

Worse, however, was the next letter.

The missive was a quandary for Hermione. In many ways, she wondered at Harry's allowing her to look at it. There was the immediate pain she knew that her love felt at its contents, but there was an underlying self-doubt that Hermione suffered through at the ramifications behind the letter.

The parchment had been of the greatest of quality. Professional. The ink was thick and smooth, the type she had seen Draco Malfoy using. It was not the simple ink that Hemrione, as well as almost every other student, used. No, this was something important… and after reading it, Hermione could not for the life of her understand why Harry wanted her to see it.

Was it to show that there was hope for the future? Or was this a slap in the face after her pushing him out of her bed?

O X O X O X O X O X O

**Harry James Potter**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

**Great Hall**

**Dear Mister Potter:**

**This missive is an order to cease and desist all actions on your part, as well as of those acting in your interest whether directly or indirectly hired by yourself, in determining any and all information in regards to Miss Nymphadora Katherine Tonks. This includes but is not limited to her current location, past locations, general welfare, et cetera.**

**Please be aware that this Order of Restraint has been submitted with both the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Ministry of Magic's Auror Division, as well as a copy forwarded to the Headmistress' Office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.**

**Failure to immediately comply with this request will result in our firm taking all measure of legal action, both criminal and civil, to insure that the interests of the Tonks household, as determined be the Head of said Household, is safe from your unwarranted and unwanted attention. **

**Any questions that you might have in regards to any part of this correspondence can be forwarded to the address listed below.**

**Your immediate compliance with the request of the Tonks family will be greatly appreciated.**

**Sincerely,**

**Gip Montegra**

**Davis, Jemmison and Tonks, LLC**

O X O X O X O X O X O

Harry Potter stared out the window of his room, wondering who else might be looking up at the same stars that he was.

As much as he hated to admit it, Draco was right. What the Hell was he doing playing Quidditch and dancing around with Tonks and Hermione and everyone else? The world was at stake.

Turning from the nighttime sky, Harry walked over to the table by his bed and picked up the photograph that had rested there since arriving at the castle for his seventh year. It warmed his heart to see that the figures shown, him and Dora, were both still holding on to one another, although he did note that the picture Tonks seemed sad, her eyes red.

He ignored how his own reflection looked.

Sighing, Harry quickly opened the drawer and negligently tossed the picture in, not caring that the glass cracked. As much as he hated that Tonks had been taken from him, he couldn't let himself be distracted from his mission. There might be time to find her after Voldemort was dead… if he himself survived the final confrontation.

It was time to get serious.


	25. An Unwanted Revelation

DISCLAIMER: Do you recognize Rowling's name? How about mine? That should answer it for you.

A/N: Another chapter already! Thanks for the reviews.

WARNING: Deathly Hallows SPOILERS included below…

O X O X O X O X O X O

AN UNWANTED REVELATION

Grimmauld Place was truly on its last leg. It rankled him a bit that Draco's estimation of months rather than Dora's estimation of years seemed to be closer to the truth. Harry carefully walked up the stairwell, avoiding the various pieces of debris and other obstacles as he continued on his way up towards the second floor and the remains of the library left behind after their escape from the building.

It was hard to walk within the remains of the house… Sirius' house. It was almost like yet another tangible anchor into Harry's past, his godfather and his parents… and now Moony, was lost. It was a heavy price that Tom Riddle demanded, the hidden remnants of his soul demanded payment. Dumbledore… this house. So much.

Trying to pull his way from his darkening thoughts, Harry carefully reached the top landing, the wooden steps cracking as his weight was finally away, the precarious support left for something a little more stable.

Harry wasted no time to enter the shattered remains of the library. Shelves lined the floor like nothing g more than broken timbers of wood. Most had been empty, either stolen away by the Order's resident thief or more likely appropriated by Harry and his companions at the end of the summer.

Either way, this was Draco's idea. There had to be more information about the Founders… something that they had missed. Harry had disagreed, but Hermione and Ron both had sided with him… well, with Jay Flemming, and now Harry was wasting another Hogsmeade weekend searching for a clue, anything, that might lead to find the last of Tom's hidden treasures.

While searching the room, tossing useless books into a pile of trash in the corner, Harry fought to keep his thoughts on the task at hand rather than of the various other troubles that seemed to plague his life. It was no use, however, as he was stuck looking at the spines and inner pages of various books, his mind involuntarily drawn to Hermione. She'd love this. Well… everything but the tossing of books away as being useless. She would never consider a book, no matter its contents, as useless. She'd lve the search, though. She had, in fact, wanted to accompany him. He'd said no.

Since sleeping with his ex-girlfriend, things had definitely gotten worse. Harry had known it was the wring choice the moment it started, but the void inside had just become too much, too hard to control. He'd welcomed the idea of losing himself in her embrace… even if it had screwed everything else.

And thinking of Hermione immediately led to Tonks. What was he going to do? It was in times like this that he felt the true void of losing every parental figure in his life the most. This was the type of thing a parent or a godfather or an unofficial uncle, even an honorary grandfather, might have been able to provide sage words of wisdom. Something. But Harry was alone in his failures. Andromeda Tonks had him blockaded into a corner.

He was so lost in his thoughts that Harry only noticed that he was no longer alone in the house at the last moment. Taking a deep breath, he leapt to the left while pulling his wand from the sleeve of his shirt. His first instinct was to use one of the heavier hexes in his armory of spells, the idea of a friend or ally approaching unannounced was foolish, but he chose for a simple binding spell instead.

The spell had barely bounced harmlessly from a shield before Harry felt magical ropes snaking along his legs, limiting his movement. He still had failed to get a good look at his opponent, choosing his own safety over that of his attacker, and allowed the heavy quiet of his magic fell his body as he let loose with a heavier barrage of spells. He grunted in shock as he felt his own Bludgeoning Hex strike his side, reflected from the powerful shield. It should not have been enough, but he had barely had a chance to look up at the figure facing off against him before the world seemed to go black.

His last thought was of the two women he loved… and that he had failed them both.

O X O X O X O X O X O

"Rennervate."

Blinking rapidly as he felt himself forced awake, Harry shook his head to clear the heavy fog that seemed to fill his head, especially after being forced unconscious. Feeling slightly better, though he felt one killer of a headache coming on, Harry opened his eyes to peer at the wizard standing above him. Harry felt his blood run cold to see Severus Snape standing over him, his dark eyes boring glittering in triumph, and that damned smirk on his face.

"So. Mister Potter. I see your skills at magic are as magnificent as always."

Harry struggled to move, but found that he was now completely bound in the magical ropes that had tripped him sometime earlier. Seeing that it was useless to keep at it, he le out a heavy breath and looked back at his former professor.

"What the Hell do you want?"

Snape merely arched a single eyebrow. "To think that all of our hopes reside in someone as pathetic as you, Mister Potter. It almost makes me wish to turn you over to the Dark Lord, to take my chances on his side, than to continue on with the machinations of a truly great man… a man that sacrificed everything for you."

"Shut up!"

"What a marvelous comeback. Your wit is as astute as your class work ever was." Severus Snape paused. "I need for you to curb your natural tendency to act before thinking and to hear me out. There is…"

Harry wanted to kill. "Why should I… Aaaarrrggghhhh!"

"Quiet!" Snape struck Harry with a harsh Stinging Hex. Seeing Harry grit his teeth, Severus nodded. "As I was saying, there are things you need to know. Things that Dumbledore wanted for you to have."

"He could have given them to me himself if you hadn't killed him." Harry spat back, not caring if he was punished again for speaking.

The former professor only shrugged. "For someone with so little of the actual knowledge of what is actually going on, you have a remarkable knack for speaking as if you have all of the information."

"What could you possibly tell me?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "Even after I sent Draco to you, armed with knowledge that you needed in regards to the horcruxes. Then the planting of the mobile phone for you to find. Everything I have done, all from the shadows, and you still act so much like your father…"

"Leave my father out of this."

"If, that I but could." The older man sighed. "Voldemort knows of your quest. He sent Petigrew to Hogwarts to retrieve the last one. As far as I have been able to discover, he failed." At Harry's look, Snape continued. "In fact, the little vermin has failed to return."

Harry tried to relax. "He killed Remus."

"Truly?" Snape answered, his voice neutral. "I had not thought him enough to best the werewolf."

"What do you want?"

Black eyes studied him, digging deep into Harry's soul. Harry raised his mental shields, just in case, but it seemed for nothing. After a moment, the hated professor seemed to nod to himself before his left hand reached into a small bag at his waist. There was nothing to do but wait as the sickly coloured man slowly pulled his hand from the pouch. Harry knew his eyes were wide as he watched the Slytherin pull Gryffindor's Sword out, the jeweled hilt and perfect blade burned into his memory.

Unable to stop it from happening, Harry felt his breath quicken as he realized the precarious position he was in, bound at the feet of one of the men he hated most in this world, his enemy now armed with both a sword and a wand.

Rolling his eyes, Snape leaned the sword against the wall by the library's door. Turning back, he tilted his head to the side, as if studying an interesting riddle. Harry started to sweat, fearful of able to say anything, before the man put his wand in a holster along his left forearm.

"Headmaster Dumbledore wanted you to have that. The sword." He knelt down, his face inches from Harry's. "That sword might be your best hope. Hope to destroy the various pieces of Voldemort's soul, as well as the man himself. So you understand?"

Harry nodded.

"I will do my part. My promises to those past, both recently and those from long ago, I shall not break. I may not like you. In fact, as I am sure it is mutual, I loathe you. You are just like your father: a miserable excuse for a wizard, too arrogant and full of his own self-importance to take all that is going on seriously."

Harry bristled as he listened to the man rant. "You couldn't take after your mother…"

"Is there anything new in this speech?"

The former Slytherin Head of House stopped, his gaze narrowing as he looked at the offspring of the only love of his life and his childhood rival. "Don't mock me, Potter."

"Not much left for me to do." Harry retorted. "Are you going to release me any time soon?"

"Too much for you…"

Deciding that enough was enough, Harry took a moment to gather his magic, allowing it to spread throughout his body. That had been Snape's mistake… giving him enough time to get over the initial takedown and regroup. With that accomplished, it was only a minor trick to let the power loose and break the bonds that held him. Too say that the former professor was surprised as the ropes fell away was an understatement.

Harry took no immediate action, choosing only to wandlessly call his wand back into his hand. He took some small amount of satisfaction at the surprise that momentarily flickered across Snape's face, the man's entire posture screaming that he hadn't been prepared for that one.

Slowly sitting up, Harry pulled his knees up and rested his arms across the top. "So… let's run this one down. You hate me. I hate you. We work together to bring down Riddle."

The man gave Harry a look of pure loathing. "Essentially. Yes."

"Well… that's fun." The sarcasm was thick. "How about you and I just part ways. You stay out of my way and I'll say nothing about your crimes as a Death Eater."

"You are just as arrogant as your father."

Harry held off from rolling his eyes. "Yeah. Arrogant prat. Got it." Shifting to get comfortable, Harry sighed aloud. "While we're both here and before I tell you to get out of my house…"

"Some house."

Harry ignored him. "We thought that we had found the last horcrux. Turns out we were wrong. You wouldn't have any idea of one from Gryffindor or Ravenclaw."

The man shook his head. "All I know is that its hidden at Hogwarts. It will be up to you to figure out what it might be."

Standing, Harry rubbed at his arm, still sore from the jump he'd attempted in their confrontation. "I'd like to say its been fun…"

"Don't, Potter." Snape interrupted with a sneer. "I ask only that you keep your promise to Draco."

He nodded. "I will… but he needs to rein it in."

Without another word, the bane of Harry's time at school swirled, his cloak billowing out behind him. Harry let him go, not wanting to stay in the vile potion master's presence any longer than necessary. Brushing the dust from his pants, he sighed again as his gaze traveled over the library. This had been a bust. Rolling his eyes, he looked out the stained glass of the window across the room and saw that there was still plenty of light. Steeling himself, Harry moved over to the next broken shelf and started going through the books scattered around the area.

O X O X O X O X O X O

Nymphadora Tonks grimaced as she slowly moved from the doorway towards the chair just inside the dining room. It had taken a lot of therapy, but her muscles were slowly coming back under her complete control. In fact, the Healers that her parents had forced upon her were fairly certain that it was only a matter of time before her metamorphmagus abilities would return at any time. In any other reality, those words would have been a reason for celebration. Now, however, it was nothing more than another nail that her mother would use in keeping her under control.

"Nymmy." Speak of the devil, herself. "I'm so glad to see you out of your rooms. Your father will be quite pleased to see you."

Andromeda Tonks strode into the room like a queen of old, her eyes missing nothing… not even the momentary flash of annoyance in her daughter's features. "We can have dinner as a family. Won't that be wonderful?"

"A thrill."

Tonks watched as her mother moved around to the far side of the ornate dining parlor and sat down, taking a moment to reach out towards the crystal goblet that appeared moments after she settled comfortably into the seat. There was nothing to do but wait as the elder Tonks took a moment to sip from the goblet.

She waited as long as she could, hoping to out last her mother, but in the end the result was the same. Tonks broke first.

"Mother…"

"Why don't you call me _Mum_ anymore?"

She ignored the barb. "_Mother_. I need to get out of here. I'm going stark raving mad in this house. I mean, I love you and Daddy, but I'm nearly twenty-four years old. I was an Auror. I'm a member of Headmaster Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. I've been out of the house for five years. I need my own space again."

Andromeda had kept quiet through the impassioned plea. She waited a moment after Tonks had finished, waiting to see if there was more. Once she realized that her daughter was done, she carefully set the goblet down and dabbed at her lips with the napkin.

"Will you finally explain to me what you were doing with Harry Potter?"

The metamorphmagus sighed as she sank her face down towards her hands, her elbows on the table. "Please, Mother. We've been over this time and time again. I love him. He loves me. Why can you just not accept it and let us live our lives?"

"You're sure of that?"

For the first time in weeks, Tonks felt a glimmer of hope. She and her mother (father, too, if it really came down to it) had been arguing for weeks… ever since her mother had forced her from the school and away from Harry without a word to anyone.

It was then her parents' plan to make her think that Harry had forgotten about her, leaving her to whatever fate that Andromeda had planned. With all of the doubts that filled her, especially considering Hermione, she had let her mother fool her for a few days, sinking into a deep bout of depression. In fact, she might even have stayed in it… losing herself into whatever plans her parents had prepared for her. No. She'd failed that test, but it had been Harry himself that had rescued her from it.

Like a tower in the night, a light shining its way into the darkness, she'd gotten a letter from, of all people, Arthur Weasley using ministry parchment. She had cried as she'd learned that her love was trying to fight what her mother had done, employing several people to search out the laws and rules for those classified as Dark Creatures.

Tonks had clung to that short correspondence like the greatest of love letters, carefully keeping it in a book in her room that hid all of the various memories and mementos from her life. It had been the last of such, something that had initially put a damper on her feelings… at least, it had until she overheard her father talking over the FLOO with someone from her Daddy's law firm.

It seems that they had resorted to legal means to keep them apart. It was then that Tonks had started referring to her Mum as _Mother_.

"Am I sure of what? Sure that I love him? Absolutely."

Tonks ignored the flash of ire that seemed to fill the older woman's eyes. "Do you think he is willing to pay for the responsibility?"

She choked. "P-pay?"

Andromeda simply smiled… a look that reminded Tonks of her mother's sister, Bellatrix. "Yes. Pay. It is not that old of a tradition for a young man to pay for a wife, especially one with the political clout that the bloodline of Black can provide."

Tonks swallowed nervously.

"Why, your father and I had at one time consider a betrothal for you. Your classification as a Dark Creature aside, that ability of yours could fetch quite the bride price."

"Mother. No." Tonks whispered.

"Oh, yes, my dear." Andromeda leaned back in the chair. "Are you really wanting your father and I to open negotiations with young Mister Potter regarding a betrothal between the two of you?"

She hated that her mother was so good at this. Politics.

Her mother continued. "While you were an Auror, there seemed little that we could do, your life was your own. But now, especially with all that is happening in the world. I think that it is time that you took responsibility and your place within the family. Ensuring the continued strength of the Black line."

"B-b-but… but you were cast out. You aren't a Black anymore."

Andromeda smiled viciously. "True. But I bet that young Mister Potter, his love for you being as devout as you claim, would be willing to add that little bit in along with any price that we might name."

Tonks wiped her face, not at all surprised to find her face wet from tears. "You can't do this, Mum… you can't just play with people like this. I-I'm your daughter…"

"So I'm _Mum_ again, Nymmy?" Her mother replied, her voice soft. At seeing that she apparently had her daughter's full attention, the woman continued. "I may have been disowned from my family, but never doubt that I am a Black.

"And if that means that I will use whatever resources I must, you included, to make sure that this family survives and continues to be a force within Magical Britain, then so be it."

Tonks wiped her face with the napkin lying in front of her. "I love him, Mum…"

Andromeda smiled. "Then we both will get what we want."

At Tonks nod, her mother smiled. "And you will have learned an important lesson, isn't that right, my dear?"

O X O X O X O X O X O

A/N: I always found it strange that with three sisters, Andromeda came out so different.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things are moving along. If things can keep going as I hope, I will have this story finished fairly soon… I might even beat the one-year mark since I started. How's that for dreaming big?

Catch you next time.


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